Old Demons
by CrestOfHealing
Summary: It begins with a simple dream. But when the dream becomes reality, Kouichi is stranded in a strange world. Alone, unsure if Kouji or their friends can or will help him, he must face his demons or suffer a relapse into darkness. REVAMP IN PROGRESS Ch6 Up
1. Can't Change the Past

**Version 2.0 (Feb 5, 2007): Well, this was my first story here on and I'm actually rather attached to the storyline, but my writing skills from when I first wrote this…not so good. And I noticed several accuracy errors (ie in Frontier it was "The Village of Beginnings" not "Primary Village") so I'll be fixing those, too. I do have ATTWT going on, so don't expect updates to be all that frequent. Any chapter that has been redone will have a normal title in the drop-down list; the rest will have 1.(chapter number). So chapter two (until I revise it) will be 1.2. Enjoy!**

**Setting: One year after the defeat of Lucemon. JP is in 8th grade; Takuya, Zoe, and the twins are in 7th; and Tommy is in 4th. For the purposes of this fic, Frontier took place in early April…We'll say April 4th. I'm not sure what schools they all go to, so I say they all go to the same middle school/junior high (except Tommy, who would be in elementary school). Hey, I may not own Digimon, but this will make this fic a whole lot clearer for everyone.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon! I don't own this computer! Gosh, I'm poor!**

**Old Demons **

**Chapter 1: Can't Change the Past

* * *

**

_Without freedom from the past, there is no freedom at all, because the mind is never new, fresh, innocent.  
__-Krishnamurti

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_

_Darkness. Suffocating, absolute darkness. The kind that swirls around your feet and seeps through your clothes to chill your skin and raise goose bumps. It rose around him like roiling black clouds, melding seamlessly with the ink-black sky above. Just tangible enough to maintain its shape, the darkness tempted him to reach out and grab it or dispel it with a broad sweep of his arms, but it parted around his skin, resulting in nothing more than a twister in the cloud for all his efforts._

_He knew this place. Sometimes at night, in his dreams, he would find himself here, wandering alone, searching for something. Sometimes he was running, choking on his own ragged breaths that masked sounds of pursuit. But every time he found himself here, he was filled with a sense of dread. Every time, sooner or later, his unease would settle and he would huddle in the darkness, yearning for the comfort and peace it offered. It consumed his flustered senses, lulling him into a deeper sleep for the remaining hours of the night. When he woke, all that would remain would be a dull sorrow in his heart._

_Now he was standing, though he couldn't feel anything solid beneath him feet. Turning a slow circle, he searched for anything real in this unearthly place. Every other time, he would be moving from the moment he became aware of the darkness, but this time he stood, rooted to the spot._

_Waiting._

_It wasn't really that he expected someone was coming; someone was already here. The only other presence he had ever sensed before was the malignant, hateful being that sometimes chased him. But that wasn't the presence that was here now. This was something more familiar. Or rather, it was familiar to his waking self. But here, in the darkness of his dreams, it was foreign – an intruder._

_Suddenly, his grandmother was in front of him. For a moment he merely stared at her, absorbing the pale, wrinkled features that he hadn't seen in over a year. She had been the one to set things in motion, both the good and the bad, but she never got the chance to see what had come of it. Trembling, he reached out to her, longing to be a child again, seeking comfort from her frail but protective embrace. She frowned at his outstretched arms, shaking her head slowly. As he watched helplessly, she faded, becoming like the darkness around them as a gentle wind dispelled her figure._

_He turned, following the black wisp of cloud that was once his grandmother, and his eyes fixed themselves on his father. An awkwardness reverberated in their blank stares, echoing every other time they were together. A year was too short a time for them to truly become a family again, and for him every day was a battle to keep working towards a relationship rather than running away from the father he never knew. It was almost too much to handle. There were times when he felt like he was the only one who cared about being a family._

_Times like now._

_Tendrils of darkness latched onto his father's neck, arms, and chest, obscuring the man. He never struggled. Both the boy and his father stood still, watching the darkness inch up the man's body. Just before he was lost to the darkness, he looked up, meeting his son's eyes with an empty expression._

_The boy barely reacted, letting a small corner of his mind register the relief as the tension between father and son faded, before he quickly corralled the unwarranted coldness towards his father._

_Light. A warm, faint light shone to his left, the first thing that was blatantly out of place here. Though he welcomed the change, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted it to stay. Already he could see it driving back the darkness – only by a few inches, but he felt a certain attachment to the darkness, having become accustomed to its solace._

_Turning towards the source, he saw his mother and faltered. She, too, represented solace to him, but she seemed somehow inferior to the darkness, as if he knew there was a limit to what she could soothe. The darkness was absolute; it could soothe anything._

_She was healthier than he had seen her in a long time, and glowed softly, flickering every few seconds. His indignation faltered, enough for a small smile to soften his face. She was his mother, after all. As he started forward, a coughing fit shook her body, and she fell to her knees, sending up a veil of darkness._

_Urgency spurred him on into a run; he had to help her. But she drifted away as he approached, phasing through the darkness around her instead of disturbing it like the boy. As he ran, he kicked up wave after wave of darkness that settled between him and his mother, obscuring his view of her. Still he ran, sprinting as fast as he could and trying to ignore the undeniable futility of his chase. Finally he could run no more and collapsed. He could sense the disturbed darkness settling and looked up to find that his mother had become nothing more than a dim light in the distance. The only star in this forsaken place._

_He felt light, brighter this time, on his back and turned, half kneeling. The face he saw this time was the last he expected to see in a place like this, and yet he knew there could only be one reason he was here. Once more, the other boy had come for him. To save him._

_His brother smiled down at him, his naturally scowling mouth constricting the expression to a small smirk, but the sincerity was unmistakable. His midnight blue eyes glimmered in wry amusement as he reached out a hand that seemed to glow from within. The kneeling boy reached up to accept it, and saw his own hand wrapped in darkness._

_Grunting, his brother lurched forward. For a second, their eyes locked, and he saw a flash of pain, of betrayal. Then his brother straightened, and his face became an emotionless mask. The customary scowl returned, and the amusement was gone from his eyes. The light turned cold, defensive, and his brother backed away. The darkness pierced the aura of light that surrounded the other boy, making him stumble again._

'_Wait!' he called, speaking for the first time in this place, but his brother continued moving away. 'Don't go!' His brother turned and fled. The boy dropped his hand, still too tired and confused to stand. He continued in a whimper: 'Not you too.'_

_Eyes burning with tears, he looked around, waiting for another figure to appear. Who else could possibly enter his dreams? His friends, perhaps? Would he see them next, jeering at the lonely, pathetic tagalong he had become?_

'_Forget about them.'_

_He jumped, hugging himself as a chill raced down his spine. Had the speaker read his mind? Or did the words refer to the phantoms he had seen? The voice continued, but he couldn't see any figure to go with it._

'_It's for the best, anyway.'_

_He experienced a moment of déjà vu and paused, trying to place the voice._

'_You don't need them. They don't even want you!'_

_The voice was coming from everywhere. It came from the darkness around him; it vibrated up his legs from the nonexistent ground he was kneeling on. It even seemed to come from within him._

_And it was familiar… so familiar._

'_You'll just end up hurting them.'_

**-(--)-**

Kouichi jerked awake, heel thudding painfully against the wall by his bed. He opened his eyes to the glaring darkness of his room and shivered involuntarily. His thick black hair felt heavy and damp on his forehead. Under his blankets, his tee-shirt and pants clung to his sweaty skin. Once his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he could make out his desk, which sat next to his bed, and the haphazard pile of novels and homework on top of it. In the pre-dawn half-light, everything in the room seemed to have lost its color, giving the impression of an old black-and-white movie.

Letting the blankets slide away, Kouichi sat up. The cold night air met his skin, which was still wet with sweat, and he shivered again. He quickly pulled the blanket back up.

The harsh blaring of his alarm clock startled him, and in his shaken state he jumped, gripping the sides of his mattress to keep from falling off the bed. When he had regained his balance, he irritably shut off his alarm.

"Kouichi?"

His mother's muffled voice from the other side of his door startled him again, and this time he ended up on the floor.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mama," Kouichi called, rubbing his head and untangling the sheets from around his legs.

"I thought I heard something a minute ago."

"I must have kicked the wall in my sleep," he said, trying to sound normal.

She paused. "Alright. Hurry up and get ready. I'll give you a ride to school." Her footsteps faded down the hallway.

Kouichi took a quick cold shower, hoping to shock his mind awake and get his thoughts off his dream. Instead, the coldness only reminded him of the feel of darkness in his dream and the cold hatred Cherubimon had fueled to turn him against Kouji. The guilt and regret washed over him again, as fresh as the day Kouji had purified him, and, not for the first time, the last thing he wanted to do was face the day as a "normal" kid. He was anything but normal. _Don't think about it_, he told himself. _It's not like I can change the past_.

"That's over," he muttered. "Duskmon's gone; I'm different now. Maybe I'm not entirely normal…I should just forget about it. Focus on something else." _Why won't my past leave me alone?

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_

**Well, hoped you liked the first chapter. I'm sure you have some idea about whose voice he heard. Now you just have to wait and see if you're right. My whole rambling discussion of grades and schools and such will come into play in the next chapter, which will take place during school (a Friday if you're wondering). Things will really get interesting in chapter three or four. Mwahahaha!**

**Review if you want.**

**-Child of Healing**

Word count: 1666 (Shorter than I prefer, but still. It's a lot better than the 700 I had in the first version! And besides, this is really more of a prologue than an actual chapter, anyway.)


	2. Afraid of the Light

**Version 2.0 (Feb 5, 2007): Sort of a filler chapter, but (shrug) oh well. There is some worthwile stuff in here…And next chapter…oo-hoo! Can't wait to revise that one! lol**

**Hm...I suppose I could have used today to actually write something for ATTWT...too late now!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon! (I am Neemon, keeper of my pants! … Don't own that, either.)**

**Old Demons **

**Chapter 2: Afraid of the Light

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**

_You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in.  
-Arlo Guthrie

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_

"Hey! Kouichi!"

Another poke to his ribs. More whispering.

"Kouichi!"

"I heard you the first time, Zoe," he groaned, lifting his head off his desk just enough to glare half-heartedly at the blonde girl. "Leave me alone."

"Mr. Hakuta's in a bad mood," she warned, apparently not noticing Kouichi's irritated tone. "You're going to get in trouble!"

Kouichi shifted his glare to the teacher. The balding man was at the blackboard, scribbling something incomprehensible. The Warrior of Darkness vaguely noted that Mr. Hakuta had accidentally wiped off some of the chalk with his coarse brown sweater. As a result, half of the right sleeve was a dusty white, distracting Kouichi further. Above the mess of numbers and letters the teacher had written on the board, Kouichi spotted a page number with a box drawn around it. Kouichi grabbed his Pre-Algebra textbook and opened it to the indicated page.

"Adding fractions. Great," he moaned. Kouichi stared at the page as if it were written in a foreign language, blinking several times as he tried to get anything to register in his muddled head. _Find the LCD… What the heck is an LCD? _he wondered, searching for an explanation. Mr. Hakuta had probably already explained the process, and soon would assign the homework.

Finding an example, Kouichi sighed. To be blunt, Bokomon's "Book of Knowledge" would have been easier to decipher. _Well, great. At least I know that something plus something equals something else. _Maybe, if he was lucky, Mr. Hakuta would let the class work in groups and Zoe could explain it to him.

"Kouichi." _Oh, no…_ Heart starting to flutter nervously, Kouichi looked up at the teacher. This could only mean one thing… "Would you please do this problem on the board?"

Grimacing, Kouichi walked to the front of the classroom. _Of course. This _had _to be one of the days he makes someone demonstrate! And it had to be me! _He took the chalk from the teacher and stared at the problem, hoping in vain that he had suddenly developed a photographic memory and in the next two seconds something in the textbook would make sense. No such luck. "Um…" The numbers and x's on the board defiantly stayed exactly the same, not offering any help. Usually, Kouichi was decent at math, but today his mind refused to cooperate. He shook his head, trying to clear it.

"You seem to be having problems, Mister Kimura," Mr. Hakuta said. "Sit down." Kouichi bowed and returned to his seat, blushing furiously. "Oh, and I want to see you after class." Kouichi sighed as the teacher turned back to the board. As he began to explain the process once more, Kouichi struggled to comprehend what was being said. "Now, what you want to do is multiply the first fraction by x minus 3 and the second fraction by two-x plus one…"

He doubted today was going to get any better.

**-(--)-**

Forty-five minutes later, the bell rang, signaling the end of first period. As it happened, Mr. Hakuta hadn't allowed talking for the thirty-five minutes they had to work on the homework, so Kouichi had spent the time reading the entire lesson in the textbook four times. It didn't make any more sense now than it did when he had started.

Gathering her books, Zoe shot Kouichi a sympathetic smile before following the other seventh graders out of the classroom. Kouichi couldn't help cringing. Mr. Hakuta mad wasn't something he particularly wanted to see. The teacher waited until the room was empty, then studied Kouichi's face carefully.

"You seemed…distracted today," he prompted. "That's not like you. Care to explain?"

"It's nothing. I just didn't sleep well last night."

Mr. Hakuta raised an eyebrow in mild amusement. "Mister Kimura, I am not blind. I saw you talking to Miss Orimoto. If sitting next to a pretty girl is too great a distraction, I will gladly fix that."

Kouichi gaped at him, too shocked and embarrassed to speak for several seconds. "What… Listen, Zoe's my friend. She just wanted to know if something was wrong!"

Glancing at the clock, Mr. Hakuta sighed. "Very well. Let's hope this problem does not continue. Now go, before you're late for your next class."

Kouichi sighed as he left the room, for once glad he had a book bag, unlike most of the other students. He at least didn't have to stop at his locker in the two minutes he had left between classes. As he dodged the few cliques still clustered around lockers, Kouichi glanced anxiously at every clock he passed. The last thing he needed was a detention. Thankfully, he made it to his next class – science – with several seconds to spare, earning a suspicious glance from the teacher but making it to his desk before the bell rang.

"Today we will be talking about energy," the teacher said, finally shifting his gaze from Kouichi to the rest of the class, "something kids nowadays seem to have too little of."

The class groaned. One boy, who was leaning back onto the two rear legs of his chair, moaned dramatically and slumped backwards. With a loud crash, the chair toppled, leaving the boy on his back on the floor. Stifled laughter from other students made the boy blush, but the teacher watched silently as he righted himself.

Once the boy was sitting normally once more, he continued. "Mister Fujiwara has provided an excellent transition into today's lesson. While precariously positioned in his chair, he had ample potential energy…"

As the teacher switched into lecture mode, Kouichi leaned his head on a fist. He supposed energy was marginally more interesting than hearing about states of matter for an hour, but even so, he kept zoning out. His focus simply wasn't there today.

**-(--)-**

Kouichi managed to get to his next class early, practically sprinting down the hallway the instant the bell had rung. The quick pace had woken him up for a few moments, but he could already feel his fatigue returning. How much longer could this day _possibly _last? Folding his arms on the desk, he lowered his head. In the relative darkness, Kouichi's normal drive to do well in school melted in an instant to the prospect of sleep.

"Hey."

He looked up, partially annoyed at being disturbed and partially relived that Kouji had arrived. Kouichi's twin was half turned around in the seat in front of him, studying him carefully. Kouji's intense eyes slowly took in Kouichi's position, repeatedly staring questioningly into the older twin's eyes. Brow furrowed deeply, Kouji's mouth settled into a small scowl. To anyone else, the expression came across as disgust. But Kouichi knew it was his brother's own quirky way of showing concern.

"What's wrong?" Kouji asked softly, as if he didn't want anyone else to hear.

"Nothing's wrong. Why does everyone think something's wrong?"

Kouichi winced. There was no way Kouji would let that slip. Kouichi never snapped like that. In fact, he would have been better off not saying anything, although Kouji probably would have seen through that as well.

As Kouichi expected, Kouji's scowl turned into an all-out frown. "Everyone? Come on, it's third period! You probably haven't even seen Takuya yet. His ego wouldn't let it be 'everyone' without him." Kouichi could tell Kouji was determined to get the truth out of him, and he sighed. Sometimes having a twin who could read you like a cardboard children's book wasn't exactly a good thing.

Summoning up his best glare (which, compared to Kouji, wasn't really that intimidating), Kouichi met his younger twin's eyes. "Listen, I'm just not in the mood for school today. I didn't sleep well last night. That's all there is to it. _Really_."

They both knew the emphasis on "really" didn't convince Kouji in the least. Luckily, Kouichi was spared further interrogation when the bell rang. The teacher stood up from her desk, beginning the roll call. Just before turning around, Kouji sent Kouichi a glance that very clearly stated they would be finishing this discussion after class.

**-(--)-**

By the end of the period, however, Kouichi was feeling sick to his stomach. It didn't take long for him to decide to go to the nurse's office. It would at least be better than facing Kouji. Now if only he could figure out how to _tell _Kouji without sparking a whole new round of questions.

It turned out he didn't have to. One look at his twin after class and Kouji knew he wasn't feeling well. _Of course he'd notice, _Kouichi thought with a dry smile. _We're twins._

"I thought you said there was nothing wrong," Kouji accused, a hint of panic in his voice, as they left the classroom. Kouichi suddenly remembered the Kouji in his dream and how the darkness – Kouichi's darkness – had attacked him. That Kouji's eyes had been filled with the same accusation that rang in Kouji's voice now. A chill ran up his spine. Kouji's frown deepened. "I'll walk you there."

For some inexplicable reason, Kouichi was extremely relieved to hear that. Despite the other students in the hall, he found himself not wanting to be left alone. The mere thought of walking across the school by himself caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end, and he crossed his arms, subconsciously moving closer to Kouji.

By the time they were halfway to the office, the knot of fear in his stomach had loosened, and Kouichi was feeling considerably less nauseous. He looked over at his brother, allowing himself to smile at the overprotective stance Kouji had assumed. The kendo student was glaring at every student who so much as crossed his path, and had sent more than a few 7th grade girls scampering out of his path.

"I'm fine, you know," Kouichi assured. "Just overtired, that's all."

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you so tired all of a sudden?"

"I had a dream last night." Kouichi shrugged, refusing to meet his twin's probing glare. "But it's no big deal. It's just a dream." By now they were outside the nurse's office, and Kouichi watched his right shoe scuff across the speckled carpeting. "You don't want to be late for P.E."

Kouji hesitated, no doubt debating asking more, but school was almost as important to him as it was to Kouichi and he was well aware of the time. Besides, neither twin was the type to give up a secret in less than twenty minutes, no matter who it was asking the questions. Giving his brother's shoulder a quick squeeze and smiling shyly, Kouji hurried off. Kouichi watched him go for a moment, reminded of his old ponderings as to whether Kouji really was the older brother after all. Shaking his head, he opened the door and stepped into the nurse's office.

**-(--)-**

Kouji barely made it to the locker room before the late bell rang, and was one of the last to finish changing and get to the gym. By the time he caught up to Takuya, the gogglehead was almost done stretching.

"Where's Kouichi?" Takuya asked offhandedly.

"Nurse's office." Not bothering to explain, Kouji turned away from his best friend and began his own stretches.

"What's he doing, skipping P.E.?" Takuya laughed. "I don't see why. We're playing soccer today! Speaking of which, I wouldn't want them to start without me!" He sprinted off to join the growing crowd of boys in the center of the gymnasium. "Better hurry up, Kouji!"

"Glad to see _he's_ concerned," Kouji sighed, rolling his eyes.

**-(--)-**

After showering and changing at the end of gym, the two boys bought their lunches and sat down at the Legendary Warriors' customary table. Takuya, as usual, was ravenous and, between mouthfuls of food, started ranting about his second period Language Arts class. Vaguely hearing Zoe's name several times, Kouji picked at his food and barely noticed what was going on around him. At least until Zoe arrived.

"Shut up, Takuya!" Kouji glanced over at the Warrior of Wind as she sat down next to him. A nervous-looking JP sat across from her, next to Takuya. Kouji couldn't help but wonder if Zoe had been in a bad mood before or if JP was just bracing himself for another squabble between her and Takuya.

"What's your problem?" Takuya demanded. "You were edgy second period, too."

"So I'm edgy today!" Zoe screamed, drawing more than a few stares from other students. "Sue me!" Kouji frowned. Takuya looked ready to shout back, but JP stepped in, quickly changing the subject.

"So, Takky…how was Computers?"

With a groan and an exaggerated wave of his arms, Takuya said, "Horrible! Seriously, we're either doing something impossible or boring!" Kouji shook his head in amazement. Either Takuya's attention span had drastically shrunk for the day or he had actually wizened up enough to know not to mess with Zoe right now.

"I take it today was one of the impossible days?" JP asked. Takuya rolled his eyes; apparently it was an agreement.

"Why are you even taking that class?" Zoe asked, sounding like her normal, bright self, though her smile seemed a bit forced. "It's not required or anything."

"I thought it would be easy," Takuya groaned. "I mean, come on! Wouldn't you think computers would be simple after a few months in the Digital World? But nooo, they have to go and teach us all kinds of useless stuff!"

Zoe slapped her palm down on the table, leaning over to hush Takuya. "Stop talking about the you-know-what! Do you want the whole school to hear?!" Fuming, she sat back down before she lost her cool and slapped the gogglehead.

"Hey, Kouji, why are you so quiet today?" JP asked. Kouji paused a moment, trying to judge whether he was worried or just trying to stop the argument.

"Eh, he's always quiet." The Warrior of Fire waved his hand in dismissal. "It's nothing to get worked up about."

"But he's quieter than usual today," Zoe argued. "Seriously. How many days have we made it to the table before he's come up with at least one sarcastic reply to your complaints?"

Kouji sighed, wondering how he wound up at the center of Takuya and Zoe's arguments so often. One thing he did know, however, was that they would keep going the whole lunch period if he didn't say something. "I'm just worried about Kouichi."

"Not you too!" Takuya groaned, surprising even Zoe with his rapid change of pace.

"Does soccer dull your senses," Kouji snapped, "or are your goggles exceptionally tight today?"

"What?" Takuya blinked, genuinely confused.

Kouji rested his forehead on his hand in frustration. "Didn't you hear what I said in P.E.?"

"No."

Zoe made a face. "At least he's honest…"

Kouji glared at Takuya until the gogglehead fidgeted. When it looked like he was about to slither under the table, Kouji relented and explained. "Kouichi went to the nurse's office. He was feeling sick."

"He seemed kinda out of it first period," Zoe said. "He couldn't focus on anything. Did he tell you why?"

The younger twin sighed. "He said he didn't sleep well last night because of a dream."

Takuya, bouncing back as only he could, folded his hand behind his head and grinned. "I never get enough sleep. He'll be fine."

Kouji rolled his eyes. "Great…I always wanted a gogglehead for a brother." Zoe laughed at the offended look that appeared on Takuya's face, but Kouji ignored them both and stood. "I'm going to see how he's doing."

"You're overreacting!" Takuya called. Kouji didn't listen.

**-(--)-**

'_You'll only hurt them.'_

'_You said that before,' Kouichi told the darkness, once more searching for a figure to go with the voice. Even as he took a step forward through the black clouds, he wondered if it was really a good idea to converse with the mystery being. But then, what else was there to do? There was no telling when this was going to end – though he was aware that this was a dream, he had tried everything he could think of to wake himself up and so far nothing had worked. And actually, it wasn't really that bad, at first. There hadn't been anyone else in this strange realm, and he had almost settled into a deep sleep when the voice returned._

'_I just wanted to make sure you knew.'_

'_Well, I heard you. I don't agree or anything, but I definitely heard you.'_

_The voice laughed, sending chills up Kouichi's spine. It was definitely familiar, like he should have recognized it instantly. 'I can see that your brother and his friends have influenced you.'_

'_What do you mean, "his friends"? They're my friends too!'_

'_Are they?'_

_Kouichi wanted to scream his response, but it came out as a whisper: 'Of course they are.' Something about the voice's last question made him hesitate. It hadn't been taunting; it was genuinely curious, inviting an honest answer. It prompted doubt. But he refused to give the voice that satisfaction. He knew they were his friends and if he started doubting them now, everything they had done a year ago would have been for nothing._

_The voice sighed. 'Your so-called friends only let you hang around because of your brother, and he feels like he has to hang out with you.'_

'_Shut up!'_

'_Is that…fear? Are you afraid of the truth... _Warrior of Darkness_?' The last part took on a teasing tone, like a schoolgirl teasing a friend about a crush, but with sinister undertones._

'_No! Leave me alone!'_

'_It's no use lying. I can sense your fear. It's the Light! The Light keeps you from true peace, Kouichi. It is what has been causing these dreams! But it cannot reach you here.' The darkness swirled, slowly taking on the shape of a living being – not a human by the looks of it. Kouichi backed away, but the darkness latched on to him like thorn bushes, impairing his movement. His heart thudded in his throat._

_Suddenly, a beam of light, impossibly bright and warm for this dark place, sliced through the dark form. The thing screamed, both in agony and fury, 'No! He should not be here! This is _my_ realm! The Soul is mine!'_

_Somewhere in the distance, Kouichi heard someone call his name. Immediately the darkness released its hold on him and began to dissolve. The form had dissipated, but a pair of crimson eyes glared at him._

'_This isn't over, boy. I _will _be back for you.'

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_

**-Child of Healing **

Word count: 3100 (And once again I double the previous count! Thank you, thank you very much! (-3 lol)


	3. In the Night

**Version 2.0 (Feb 6, 2007): Wow, two snow days in a row! Woohoo! lol**

**Okay, so this chapter ends the introduction. Yeah, long intro, but by the end of this chapter, things will change. (Oh hohoho, buddy! Will they change!) lol **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon! (Give me an I! (cricket) Give me a D! (cricket) Give me…) You…keep doing that…**

**Old Demons**

**Chapter 3: In the Night

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**

_The past isn't dead. In fact, it's not even past.  
-William Faulkner

* * *

_

When Kouji had entered the nurse's office, he had found his twin asleep on the cot. At first, Kouji was going to let him sleep, but as he approached, he realized Kouichi's normally light skin was even paler and sweat beaded his forehead, dampening his black hair. In an instant, he was at his brother's side, gingerly touching Kouichi's arm to wake him. Kouji could feel his brother's hair standing on end, as well as the way Kouichi's muscles were tense, his fists clenched.

"Kouichi!" Alarmed, Kouji grabbed Kouichi's shoulders and shook him awake. The older twin's eyes shot open and he sat up so quickly that only Kouji's quick reaction prevented a collision.

"Kouji!" the Warrior of Darkness gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Let's review," Kouji said dryly. He could see Kouichi shaking, trying to hide it by leaning back on his hands. "You're my brother. You're sick, or at least sick enough to go to the nurse's office. Do I really need a reason to check on you?"

"Sorry," Kouichi said, swinging his legs off the cot. The shaking had lessened somewhat, and Kouji allowed himself to calm down. "You surprised me. What time is it?"

"Twelve twenty."

"Kouichi?" Both boys turned to the door. Zoe walked in, smiling faintly and hugging herself. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Kouichi smiled back. "Still tired. I think I'm going to bed early tonight." Whenever Kouichi smiled, it seemed to relax his entire face, and his eye color seemed to brighten by several shades. No one had a smile quite like his, and even Kouichi himself could never fake it. That, more than anything Kouichi could have said, eased Kouji's nerves.

"I wonder why you're so tired." The statement was simple, but as she said it, Zoe fixed her eyes on Kouichi's, demanding an explanation.

"Just dreams, Zoe," Kouichi sighed.

"Dreams?" Kouji asked. As Kouichi's smile faltered, Kouji's concern returned full-force. "I thought it was just one!"

"I… had another one just now." At this, Zoe frowned and a small portion of Kouji's internal alarm entered his eyes. "It was probably something I ate. I'm fine. _Really_. You guys are overreacting."

"Funny," Zoe mused. "That's what Takuya said."

"What did I say?" Hands laced behind his head, Takuya sauntered in. JP followed, snacking on an apple.

Zoe frowned. "That we're overreacting." Hands on her hips, she turned to him. "Speaking of which, why are you here? I thought there was nothing to worry about."

"There's not," JP said with a half-full mouth. "But that doesn't mean we can't come see our friend."

"You shouldn't worry so much, buddies," Takuya reasoned. "You'll make yourselves sick. Then we'll have to take care of you and we'll get sick, and where would that leave us?"

Kouichi laughed. Kouji nearly jumped at the suddenness of the sound, and frowned at his twin. At the same time, the other three exchanged confused glances and blinked at Kouichi. In answer, the older twin said, "Kouji and Zoe are worried about me and you two are worried about them worrying about me. I'm the only one who's _not_ worried. Doesn't that worry you?"

Takuya grinned. "I don't think I've ever heard you say so much at once."

Kouji forced some of his tension out, realizing that Kouichi was probably right. "You're having a bad influence on my brother," he smirked at Takuya. Kouichi smiled once more.

"Alright students," the school nurse said from the doorway. "You need to get to class or you'll be late." As if on cue, the warning bell rang. "And how are you feeling, sweetie?" she asked Kouichi. Shrugging, he stood up. He swayed, pressing a hand to his forehead, and abandoned all pretense of being fine. The nurse caught him, shaking her head. "I think you should go home. Get some rest."

Kouji was about to voice his agreement, seeing as how Kouichi looked ready to protest, but after leaning back against the wall for support, the older twin nodded weakly. As the nurse left the room to call Tomoko Kimura, Kouji moved closer to support his brother. The others stood around awkwardly, wanting to help but not sure what to do. Kouji bit his lip, almost asking his brother what had _really _happened, but he held back for fear of offending him.

Throughout the last year, Kouji had been afraid that with one wrong word he would drive a wedge between them. The Digital World had showed him just how important his brother was to him, and he figured any relationship, even if it wasn't as close as he would have liked, was better than nothing.

Soon the nurse returned, saying Tomoko would be there in a few minutes. Reminding the other digidestined of the time, she shooed them off to class. Kouji was the last to leave, staring at his brother for a long moment and promising to stop by after school.

When they had all left, the nurse turned to Kouichi. "Looks like your friends really care about you." Kouichi, having sat down in one of the chairs, blushed. His dream came back to him momentarily, but he quickly banished the thought. If a school nurse could tell they were his friends so quickly, it had to be true.

Fifteen minutes later, Kouichi's mother showed up, exchanging a few polite words with the nurse before helping Kouichi to his feet and out the door. At first, he was embarrassed that his mother had to come get him, but his legs for some reason were shaking uncontrollably as he walked, and he found himself leaning heavily on his mother before they were even outside. The trip home passed with him in a trance-like state, staring absently at the apartment buildings they passed.

When he was finally home, his mother guided him to the couch and told him to lie down while she grabbed the blanket from his bed. After adjusting the blanket and stuffing more pillows around him than was strictly necessary, she fetched a glass of water from the kitchen and set it on the coffee table.

"Anything else, Kouichi?"

Kouichi smiled at her and shook her head. "Thanks, Mama. I'm fine."

"You sure? I could stay home if you want."

"I'll be alright, Mama. I'll sleep for a while, and Kouji's coming over after school."

His mother smiled, smoothing back his hair. "Alright. I'll see you tonight."

As his mother's footsteps faded and the door clicked shut, Kouichi stared at the ceiling, reluctant to sleep and invite the return of his dreams. Each time he blinked it became harder to open his eyes again until he drifted into a light doze. Half of the next two hours was spent in a state of semi-wakefulness, preventing so much as a wisp of dark clouds from invading his sleep.

**-(--)-**

"Kouji!" Zoe hissed, poking him in the ribs. No answer. "Kouji, pay attention or you'll get in trouble!" She poked harder. Still no answer. "Ugh! What is it with twins today? I have to make sure both of you pay attention!" She sighed in frustration, then smiled evilly. The Warrior of Wind grabbed a lock of Kouji's long black hair, pulling gently. She yanked harder.

Kouji whipped his head around to glare at her. "What do you want?"

"You weren't paying attention," Zoe said innocently. "I didn't want you to miss anything."

Kouji grunted. "I can take care of myself."

_Yeah, and you're mad cause you can't take care of Kouichi right now,_ Zoe thought. How was it that Kouichi was the only one who could make Kouji quite this moody? "You may as well put your mind to something else," Zoe said. "You can't do anything for him 'till after school." Kouji scowled at her, and she threw her hands up in defeat. "Never mind."

The rest of the day seemed to crawl by. Kouji was sure his teachers had chosen the most boring subject matter of the year to lecture about for the full hour, adopting a monotone that made Kouji want to misbehave purely for the sake of being sent out of the room. He only remained silent so he wouldn't have to endure detention after school.

The instant the final bell rang, Kouji was out of his seat, shoving his way through the streams of students leaving their respective classrooms. He made it to his locker in record time and slammed the door shut just as Takuya opened his locker, which was next to the kendo student's. Kouji brushed past him.

"What's his problem?" Takuya asked Zoe, who was passing him on her way to her own locker.

"Hel-lo! He's worried about his brother," Zoe said, sounding irritated. "Hurry up and meet me at my locker."

Zoe quickly exchanged her books, turning seconds after Takuya walked up to her. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she turned and led the way down the hall, catching sight of JP as he came their way. For once, Takuya seemed to notice that Zoe was tense, and warily kept his mouth shut. Together, the threesome made their way to the elementary school several blocks away, where Tommy was playing cards with other fourth graders. When he saw the older digidestined, he gathered his things, waving goodbye.

"Where are Kouji and Kouichi?" Tommy asked as he ran over.

Zoe looked as if she hadn't heard, so Takuya answered. "Kouichi went home sick. Kouji's over at his house."

Tommy's eyes widened momentarily and he took off down the street. "Then let's go see how he's doing!"

**-(--)-**

As Kouji unlocked the door to the Kimura apartment, he was glad his birth mother had insisted on giving him a spare key six months ago. At the time, it hadn't seemed right, and even now he felt slightly guilty unlocking a door he had passed through only a handful of times. But when he found is brother peacefully asleep on the couch, he couldn't help but smile. The younger twin leaned silently against the wall, hesitant to wake Kouichi.

Kouichi stirred moments later, eyes fluttering open. They focused on Kouji. "Hey," the older twin said groggily, sitting up. "How long have you been here?"

"Just a minute," said Kouji, suppressing his smile. "Did you have another dream?" Kouichi shook his head, and for once he seemed to be telling the truth. "Good…What are your dreams about, anyway?"

"Kouji…" Kouichi started to protest.

"Hey." The firm tone, sounding almost like an order, caught Kouichi's attention. Kouji's voice softened as he continued. "Listen, Kouichi… I'm your brother; you can tell me anything."

Kouichi's eyes glistened with uncertainty. "I don't know… I mean…I know I can tell you, but…"

Kouji came over to the couch, hesitantly nudging his brother's legs aside and sitting down. "I want to help you," he said, looking earnestly into identical blue eyes. "Please, Kouichi?"

Kouichi sighed, fiddling with the blanket in his lap. Finally he nodded and looked up. "I don't remember much…" he muttered. "Whenever I wake up it all sort of blurs together…I do remember the darkness, though, and –"

There was a knock on the door. As he got up to answer it, Kouji scowled. He had been so close to finding out the truth, but now that the others were here, he knew Kouichi wouldn't talk about the dreams anymore. As expected, the other four members of the team were waiting on the other side of the door. Tommy called out a 'hi, Kouji' as he dashed into the apartment. Finding Kouichi, the young boy promptly asked him what was wrong.

The others came in a moment later, striking up a deliberately cheerful conversation. After several minutes, Takuya held up his hands for quiet. Tommy looked at him eagerly while the others shared amused looks and humored the goggleheaded leader.

"As you know, I hope," Takuya began, grinning madly, "tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of our trip to the Digital World." He paused for dramatic effect, but before he could continue Zoe sighed wistfully.

"Can you believe it's already been a year?"

"Yeah," JP agreed. "Half the time I expect to wake up to some crazed digimon attacking."

"Or Neemon and Bokomon arguing," Zoe giggled.

"But it feels like so long ago," Tommy said. "So much has happened since then!"

"It's not like we could ever go back," Kouji muttered. "May as well be ancient history."

"History can repeat itself," Kouichi whispered, so quietly that none of the others heard. For a moment he wondered where his words had come from, but an indignant Takuya reasserted his authority in the conversation.

"I was thinking we could get together tomorrow afternoon for a picnic," the Warrior of Fire said, bursting with pride when his suggestion elicited an enthusiastic response.

"Someone should bring chips!"

"And chocolate. Lots of chocolate."

"Maybe some popcorn?"

"I suppose we should bring something at least _kind of_ healthy."

"Since when have _you_ been responsible, Takuya?"

"Y'know, if we're bringing all this food, we might want to consider some drinks."

"Hey, guys? Just who is bringing all this?" Zoe asked flippantly, smirking at the others.

"I guess it would be a good idea to figure that out," JP said, rubbing the back of his head.

Kouichi smiled as they hammered out the details. He managed to focus enough to volunteer to bring chips and hear when and where they were going to meet, but most of the other details fell on deaf ears. Eventually their conversation settled into its normal routine – friendly arguments or debates that were cut short when JP or Tommy brought up a fresh topic that lasted for ten or fifteen minutes before digressing into yet another quarrel.

When Tomoko came home from work, they all realized how late it had gotten and headed home for dinner. After JP and Takuya left to walk Tommy home, Zoe turned to Kouichi.

"Do you want me to stay and go over our math homework with you?"

Kouichi rolled his eyes. "I think math can wait one day."

Zoe laughed. "I know what you mean! Well, I'll see you tomorrow then!" Waving perkily, Zoe turned and left the apartment.

"She certainly is a peppy one," Kouji muttered after the door had closed.

Kouichi laughed. "You say that like it's a bad thing!"

Tomoko came out of her bedroom, tying her hair up into a bun as she walked. "I'm going to get dinner started," she said. "Are you staying, Kouji?"

Kouji shook his head. "Tomorrow is Mom and Dad's anniversary." Even now, Kouji stumbled slightly as he called another woman "mom" in front of Tomoko. "I'm making them dinner tonight. Actually, I should really get going now so I'm not late."

"Alright." Tomoko smiled. "I'll see you later, then?"

"Mm-hmm." Kouji stood up and grabbed his book bag from the floor nearby. Stopping briefly to hug Tomoko, he slipped on his shoes and opened the door. "Bye, Kouichi… Bye, Mama."

Before either could reply, they heard the door shut. Kouichi stifled a laugh as his mother shook her head. "Both of you are so shy," she murmured. "Just different kinds of shy."

"Like two sides of the same coin?" Kouichi teased.

"Exactly." Tomoko disappeared into the kitchen, but her voice drifted back out a moment later. "And I don't care what you say. That's a good analogy for the two of you." Kouichi just chuckled.

**-(--)-**

He woke up disoriented. Through the blaring of his alarm clock, he could hear his mother in the kitchen. It took him until he was stepping out of the shower to realize his sleep had been interrupted. No dreams. He smiled to himself. _They were just overreacting._

**-(--)-**

Unlike the previous day, Kouichi had no problems concentrating through the half day of school. Afterwards, the five older kids met up and walked together to the park near Tommy's elementary school. The ten-year-old was already there, sitting under a tree in an otherwise abandoned corner of the park. They spread a blanket and set out the food.

"Man," Zoe sighed. "A whole year…" Suddenly she giggled. "Do you ever wonder how we managed to stay friends after everything that's happened?"

Takuya stared at her as if he was expecting her to turn into Ranamon. "Why _wouldn't _we still be friends?"

A mischievous grin lit Zoe's eyes. "Well, for one thing we know you can't be trusted to realize the obvious… Like that fire would make the Candlemon stronger…"

"Hey! How was I supposed to know?" Takuya cried. "I had been in the Digital Word, what, a day?"

"They're candles," Kouji said. "You generally light candles on fire. At the very least you should have known something would happen."

"You weren't even there, so shut up!"

Tommy smiled innocently. "It's just a good thing _I_ was there to save you."

"Well, you were the one who got all the Pagumon to attack," Takuya shot back.

"Actually, that was JP's fault."

"Don't drag me into this!" JP protested.

"Besides," Kouji smirked, "wasn't that right before you pushed me into a bottomless pit, Takuya?"

Over Takuya's protests, they good-naturedly recalled all their mistakes, laughing at how dumb they had been, especially early on. No one so much as mentioned Duskmon, but the memory hung over Kouichi's thoughts. At one point, he caught himself about to bring it up in the conversation. When Takuya tried to get back at Kouji by saying the lone wolf couldn't control his beast spirit, the Warrior of Light kindly reminded his friend of his own experience getting the Beast Spirit of Fire.

_Ha. I beat you all,_ Kouichi thought bitterly. _Remember all that stuff I did as Duskmon?_ He looked at Kouji. _Remember how I tried to kill you? And what about Velgemon? Why are you all still friends with _me?

As if sensing his brother watching him, Kouji turned. "What is it?"

Kouichi shook his head, knowing there was no reason to ruin today. "Just thinking about Bokomon and Neemon."

"I am Neemon, keeper of my pants!" Tommy cried, remembering the antics of the tagalong digimon. The group laughed.

The conversation covered a wide range of topics, not all of which dealt with the Digital World. More than one led to a competition, usually between Kouji and Takuya, which left the others in hysterics. JP even dared to bring up Zoe's promise of a date for the defeat of Cherubimon. The three not involved laughed as Zoe, Takuya, and even Kouji (for once loosing his composure) scrambled for a new subject.

Eventually, the last of the food disappeared, and in the long evening shadows, they packed up their things and reluctantly departed, eagerly agreeing to make a tradition of the picnic.

**-(--)-**

'_Fool.'_

'_Not again,' Kouichi groaned, trying to pass his fear off as annoyance. The moment he had fallen asleep, he had found himself in the dream realm, and this time the voice was waiting for him._

'_You are mine.'_

_It was not a hollow threat. Whoever the being was, he had the power to take whatever he wanted. And right now he wanted Kouichi. The boy swallowed nervously, cowering back as the darkness began to solidify. Just as in his last dream, it took on a not-quite-human form, but this time there was no light to stop it. Soon he could tell exactly who it was._

'_Duskmon.' Kouichi backed up several more steps. _No! He's gone! He can't be here!

_Duskmon laughed. 'Such fear! You provide me with much power, boy. Of course, tonight I do not need it.'_

'_What do you mean?'_

'_Today was the anniversary of the day I was created and the day I was banished. Today my power is at its peak.'_

'_If you're so powerful, why do you need me? Can't you just leave me alone?'_

_Duskmon's eyes fixed on the trembling boy's face. _'_I need you to increase my power. As the days pass, your friends' power will fade, but, with you, mine will only grow. By the time their power returns, I will be unstoppable!'_

Unstoppable? _It couldn't be possible. There would always be a way to stop him! 'What are you talking about?'_

'_The Cycle.'_

_Kouichi paled. _I don't like the sound of that. _Despite his uncertainty, Kouichi clenched his fists and hardened his voice. 'My brother stopped you before. Once he knows you're back, he'll stop you again.'_

_Duskmon laughed again. 'Pathetic. You continue to rely on your brother to fight your battles?' The corrupt Warrior stepped forward, looming over Kouichi. 'The Warrior of Light will not hear of my plans; not until I tell him. He will not be able to help you, anyway. That little stunt he pulled yesterday only works through physical contact.'_

'_It doesn't matter what you do to me. Kouji will find a way to stop you!'_

'_Didn't you hear me? Your precious brother can't help you! And if you continue to rely on him, you may as well not even fight!'_

'_You're lying!'_

'_If you insist on ignoring me, then I think it's time to end this! **DUSKMON. SLIDE EVOLUTION: VELGEMON!**' Kouichi backed away farther, tearing frantically at the darkness as it grabbed at him once again. His mind screamed at him to get up and run, but his legs continued to scramble along the ground behind him, doing little to aid his desperate flight._

'Dark Vortex_!'_

_Fear froze Kouichi's muscles, leaving him defenseless as the darkness wound around his arms. His mouth hung open, a cry for help caught in his throat. Red light filled his vision._

_Then there was nothing.

* * *

_

**-Child of Healing**

Word Count: 3607


	4. Phone Tag

**Version 2.0 (April 29, 2007): I debated for a while, but I finally decided to abandon the format I used last time. (For anyone who is reading this for the first time, I wrote nearly the entire chapter in dialog only – phone calls to be specific. Entertaining? Perhaps. But for one thing it didn't fit at all with the rest of the story. Plus, in redoing this, I'm taking advantage of all the missed opportunities to explore relationships between characters. And this chapter had a LOT of opportunities. Thus the excessively long time between updates. Or you can blame it on lack of motivation. Either way.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon!**

**Old Demons**

**Chapter 4: Phone Tag

* * *

**

_The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn't matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark.  
-Barbara Hall

* * *

_

"That's terrible! Any idea what happened? … Oh. I see…Well, I'll talk to him... Mmhm…Alright. I'll call you back."

In the living room, Kouji clenched his pen in a fist, the tip hovering millimeters above the science homework he was supposed to be working on. His eyes were trained downward, but his ears strained to hear what his stepmother was saying on the phone. When he heard her hang up, he tensed. "I don't like the sound of this."

"Huh?"

Kouji glared at Takuya. It would have been bad enough if the goggleheaded leader had actually been focusing on the homework instead of paying attention to the phone conversation. At least he would have had an excuse. But if there was one thing Takuya wasn't, it was studious. No, he was absorbed in a game on his calculator – Kouji knew the white-knuckled grip well enough from science class. Normally, Kouji would have taken the opportunity to mess with his head, but not today. "Never mind."

Satomi Minamoto came into the room, a blatantly forced smile on her face. "Hello, Takuya. Kouji, have you seen your brother?"

"Not since yesterday," Kouji said. He felt his hands shaking. "Why?"

"Tomoko said he wasn't in bed this morning. She was wondering if he had come over."

"He's probably at someone else's house," Takuya said, catching Kouji off-guard by the simple fact that he was paying attention. "We'll call and ask." Kouji's stepmother nodded and left. Takuya sent the Warrior of Light a concerned look, setting the calculator down. "I'm sure he's fine."

"Whatever." Kouji stood up abruptly to get the telephone. _This isn't like him. He wouldn't have just left. _He was about to dial Zoe's number when Takuya reached around him and took the phone. "Hey!" Takuya ignored him, dialing. "I'm perfectly capable of making my own phone calls, thank you very much."

"Well, sure," Takuya replied, lifting the phone to his ear, "but you're too upset to actually explain the situation. The others can't help us if they don't know what's going on! No off- Hello! Mrs. Shibayama? It's Takuya. Is JP there?...Do you know where he went?...Oh, well tell him to call when he gets back. I'm at Kouji Minamoto's house…Thanks."

Hanging up, Takuya frowned. "He wasn't home."

"Well, duh," Kouji grumbled. "Now give me the phone."

"Too late. I'm already dialing." Takuya tapped his foot impatiently, then sighed. He mouthed the word "machine" to Kouji, apparently waiting for the recording to end, then left a message: "Hey, Tommy. This is Takuya…I need to ask you something…If you'd call me…soon…that'd be great…So, uh…yeah. Bye."

The kendo student was already rolling his eyes. "Great job explaining the situation, genius. Give me the phone."

Takuya backed away, clutching the phone to his chest protectively. "It was the answering machine. You don't explain a situation in a message, especially if you don't really know what's going on! What if he's not really missing? We'd be getting Tommy worked up over nothing!"

"Well we wouldn't want to do _that _before we check every lead, now would we?" Kouji's voice was oozing with condescension as he glared at Takuya. "Especially since he doesn't know you're at my house."

"Oops."

"_Yeah, _oops! Now give me the phone!"

"Why?"

"Because there's no way I'm letting you argue with Zoe instead of telling her what's going on!" Takuya backed away defiantly, dialing the number, but he was slower than Kouji. Just as he punched in the last number, Kouji pried the phone out of his grasp. Lunging, Takuya forced his best friend to hold the phone at an arm's length while it rang once…twice…

"_Hello, Orimoto residence!"_

Kouji struggled to get Takuya far enough away for him to reply.

"_Hello?"_

With one last deadly glare, Kouji retreated and put the phone to his ear. "Hello, Mr. Orimoto, this is Kouji Minamoto. Is Zoe there?"

"_Yes, just a moment."_

A muffled conversation ensued, then a female voice came through: _"Kouji?"_

"Finally, someone's home," he grumbled, hiding his relief well.

Nearby, Takuya pouted. "Of course! She _would _be the only one home," he muttered.

"Shut up, Takuya!" Kouji snapped. He desperately hoped that if Zoe had heard, she didn't take offense at the Warrior of Fire's words.

"_Was that Takuya?"_

Zoe's voice had a dangerous edge to it, and Kouji tensed. "Yeah," he admitted hesitantly, quickly changing the subject. "Listen…have you seen Kouichi?" Too bad the alternative was worse than an argument.

"_Not since last night."_

"Oh."

"_Why?"_

"He's…gone."

"_Gone! What do you mean? Did something happen?" _

Kouji hurried to explain about Tomoko's phone call, afraid Zoe would hyperventilate if he didn't.

"_Wouldn't he have left a note instead of just going out?"_

Kouji's composure wavered at the question. He had thought the exact same thing not ten minutes ago; if Zoe could come to the same conclusion, there had to be some basis for his anxiety. _Where are you, Kouichi? _He took a deep breath to calm himself, managing to speak evenly, though quietly. "That's what I thought."

Zoe paused, and Kouji had to wonder what she was thinking. Was she trying to think where Kouichi had gone? Searching for words to comfort Kouji? Even after a year, she was still a mystery to him. She could go from angry to sympathetic in a heartbeat, and she always said the last thing he was prepared to hear.

"_I'll do _anything_ I can to help."_

Kouji had to turn away from Takuya to hide his smile. Zoe's earnest tone and slight emphasis on "anything" assured him she didn't mean just making phone calls or searching the city. She was there to talk or to listen. Kouji glanced over his shoulder. N_ot with Takuya around. _"…Thanks. Bye, Zoe."

"_Mm-hm. Any time."_

**-(--)-**

Zoe hung up, tapping the phone in her palm as she thought. Kouji would doubtless go searching Shibuya (and all of Tokyo, if he didn't find anything), and Takuya was with him. Not about to sit home and twiddle her thumbs, she hurried to the front closet and slipped on her tennis shoes, bending over to tie them. Halfway through the second bow, she paused.

Something was going on; that much she knew. Kouichi had no reason to sneak off, and he definitely would have left a note otherwise. The twins were the most responsible out of the group, maybe even more so than Zoe, though she wouldn't admit it, so there was no way either would just "slip" and make everyone else worry.

No, something sinister was going on.

"Get a grip, Zoe," she told herself. "This isn't the Digital World; there doesn't have to be evil behind every unusual event. Stop freaking out!" Kouichi hadn't been feeling well the day before last. Maybe that had returned and he'd just gone out for fresh air, not realizing his mother would worry. And lost track of time. It wasn't the perfect rationalization, but it was better than jumping to conclusions.

Still, her heart fluttered nervously at the thought of going out alone. On the off chance something bad really _had _happened, she didn't want to be defenseless. She decided to call JP. His crush on her had mellowed in the last year, though it still broke through from time to time, but she knew she could trust the fourteen-year-old. A tough guy like him would be able to protect her from everything.

Zoe had to giggle at the thought of JP sucker-punching some shadowy attacker. JP was too much of a teddy bear to do that. But she wasn't about to pass up the company. Besides, if the worst happened, she would feel a lot better with him there.

She dialed the number and waited through three rings.

"_Hello?"_

"Mrs. Shibayama. Hi! It's Zoe Orimoto."

"_JP isn't here. Your friend Takuya already called."_

"Oh." Zoe could have hit herself. Kouji and Takuya had both indicated that they had already called the others and that only Zoe had been the only one home. She had completely forgotten. "Does JP have his cell phone with him?"

"_Yes. Whether it's on is a different story, but he has it."_

Zoe bit her lip, wondering if the boys had thought to try his cell already. Oh, well. It was a chance, at least. "Thanks, Mrs. Shibayama. Bye."

"_Goodbye."_

Zoe barely paused to hang up before she dialed again. The phone rang six times, much to Zoe's irritation. She was just about to hang up when her call was redirected to voice mail. JP's voice came through the earpiece a second later.

"_Hey! You've reached the cell phone of JP Shibayama, junior magician extraordinaire! I don't have my phone with me…or I can't hear it…or it's just off."_

Zoe rolled her eyes. Leave it to JP to have such a random recording.

"_In any case, I can't answer the phone, which should be obvious, seeing as how you're listening to this…"_

Her amusement faded to impatience, and she wished there was a way to skip the rest. With a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down and wait out the few seconds that remained. It wouldn't do her any good to get upset.

"_If you're still listening, I guess you really need to tell me something, so leave a message!"_

Something about that last sentence irked Zoe, as if the whole recording was designed specifically to mess with her mind. JP obviously realized that he had talked for too long, possibly impeding an urgent message, yet he didn't even attempt to shorten it! When the phone beeped, Zoe abandoned all pretense of patience.

"Why do you have to say so much?! There could be an emergency, and no one would be able to get a hold of you! And why is your phone off, anyway? You may as well not even have a cell phone, for all the good it does you! How's a girl supposed to ask you a vital question if she can't talk to you? You're such an idiot!"

Hanging up, Zoe slammed the phone down on the table and stalked towards the front door. Halfway there, she stopped and groaned. _Great job, Zoe. You probably just ruined any chance of getting him to go look with you! Now you'll have to go alone! _Zoe shuddered and pulled at her hair nervously.

_Wait a minute, what am I saying?_ _I'm the Legendary Warrior of Wind! I can take care of myself! Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I just abandoned Kouichi?_

Squaring her shoulders, Zoe tucked her cell phone into her sweatshirt pocket and strode through the door.

**-(--)-**

Tommy sighed as the phone rang. Nearly an hour after Takuya had called, Tommy had returned home from the movie he had gone to see with his family to find a message waiting. The older boy's breathless, restrained tone had worried him, and he quickly grabbed the phone and shut himself in his room. A call to Takuya's house proved fruitless, except to inform Tommy that Takuya was at Kouji's house. So he tried again.

"_Hello?"_

The voice sounded tired, strained. Tommy frowned. "Hi, Mr. Minamoto. Is Kouji or Takuya there?"

"_No, they just left."_

"Where are they going?"

After a hesitation, _"To look for Kouichi."_

Tommy couldn't hold in his shock, nearly dropping the phone. "What?!" he sputtered.

Kousei sighed. _"He wasn't at home this morning. No one knows where he is. Kouji and Takuya had been trying to call people, but no one was home, apparently. They decided to go out to look, instead."_

Missing? Tommy found himself unable to speak. Nothing like this had happened since the Digital World. "Oh," he said absently. "I wonder what happened."

"_I don't know."_

Tommy bit his lip nervously. "Well, alright. Bye." Pacing, Tommy hung up and dialed Takuya's cell number. With any luck, he and Kouji had already found Kouichi and this was all just a misunderstanding. Irritated, he hung up when it went straight to voice mail. Maybe Kouji had his phone on. After only one ring, Kouji answered tersely:

"_What?"_

So much for luck. "Kouji?" he asked hesitantly. Even having grown closer in the past year, when Kouji got like this, he intimidated the Warrior of Ice. Still, Kouji's voice eased with obvious relief when he spoke next.

"_Tommy!"_

In the background, Tommy heard Takuya exclaim, "_Tommy? Hey, why didn't he call me?"_

"_Your phone probably isn't on,"_ Kouji growled.

"_Yes it is…oh, wait. No it isn't... Hey, look! A missed call…from Tommy. Never mind!"_

Tommy sighed. "So, did Takuya call about Kouichi?"

"_Yeah. You haven't seen him, have you?" _Kouji asked hopefully.

"Not today. Your dad told me he's missing. I wonder what happened."

"_I don't know…Where were you, anyway?"_

"My parents took my brother and I to the movies. We just got back. I'll go out to look for Kouichi."

"…_Thanks. Takuya and I are looking over by the school. Why don't you check the parks?"_

"Okay. I'll have my cell phone."

"'_Kay. Bye."_

Kouji hung up, not waiting for Tommy to reply, but Tommy didn't take offense. It must be hard to not know where his brother was. If anything ever happened to Yutaka, Tommy knew he would be a wreck.

Though it took some convincing, Tommy's parents finally allowed him to go searching. At the first park, he happened to run into Zoe, who was nearly as frustrated with not being able to get a hold of JP as she was over Kouichi's disappearance. They stayed mostly silent, walking in unspoken agreement from park to park, then from there to the mall, though they called JP every fifteen minutes. Each time they would be met with a recording, and each time Zoe would harrumph, muttering something under her breath.

Somewhere along the way, Tommy's shock began to wear off, which made him increasingly paranoid. Laughter in the park – was this all some sick joke that those other kids were in on? A black haired kid in the mall; Kouichi? Zoe's phone rang. Had they found him? Was that Kouji, saying it was all just a big misunderstanding? Or was it bad news, someone calling to break the news gently.

Zoe snatched her phone from her pocket, ducking outside through a nearby entrance before she answered. Tommy hurried to follow, leaning close in an attempt to hear what was being said.

"Hello?" Zoe asked tensely.

"_Zoe! Hey--"_

"JP! You idiot! We've been trying to get a hold of you all day!"

Tommy felt his heart fall at that. So nothing had changed. He supposed he should at least be glad there was someone else looking. Sighing, he missed JP's response.

"Yes, 'we'!" Zoe screeched. "Takuya and Kouji called you hours ago! Then I tried, which by the way, I'm assuming you got my message!"

"_Yeah, what was that--"_

"And Tommy and I have been calling you nonstop for the last three hours!"

"_Tommy? … What's going on?"_

What _was _going on? Where was Kouichi; was he alright? And why were they so helpless?! Tears of frustration welled in Tommy's eyes and he wiped them away hastily, turning around so Zoe wouldn't see. He had to be strong! He couldn't help anyone if he started crying. _Come on! I'm not a crybaby anymore. Kouichi needs me. I can't let him down! _He sniffled as softly as he could, but Zoe still heard. She looked over, concerned, and fumbled for an answer to JP's question.

"Just…" She gave an angry huff. "Just talk to Kouji!" With that, she hung up and turned to Tommy. "Hey…" she soothed, guiding him to a nearby bench while rubbing his back. "Hey, Tommy, it'll be alright."

Tommy nodded amidst sniffles, and looked bashfully away from the older girl. "I guess… It's just, we haven't found him yet, a-and I don't know where else to look. I don't know him enough to know where he'd go." He hesitated. "I…I'm no help to you at all."

"Sure you are!" Zoe argued gently. "If you weren't here, I'd be alone, and then I'd never get anything done!"

Tommy looked up in confusion, meeting her tear-filled green eyes. "Wh-what do you mean? You could do all this without me."

"No. I'm…I'm scared, Tommy," she admitted. "I won't lie to you. I don't know what happened to Kouichi and that has me more worried than I've been since…well, since last time we didn't know if he was okay. If I was alone, I'd be hysterical! Without you here, I'd be too worked up to think straight."

"Really?"

Zoe smiled mutely and nodded. "So what do you say?" She stood up suddenly, extending a hand to Tommy. "We'll keep each other sane and keep looking. Okay?"

Wiping one last round of tears away, Tommy took her hand eagerly. "Okay!"

**-(--)-**

Kouji snarled as Takuya came to a sudden stop in front of him. "Watch it, gogglehead!" he snapped viciously, but the other boy took no notice of him.

"That's it!" he cried, whirling around. "I've got it, Kouji! I know where he is!"

"Oh really?" Kouji rolled his eyes. _Not likely._

Takuya grabbed his wrist and dragged him down the sidewalk. "Yeah! It's so obvious! I can't believe I didn't think of it before! Well, are you coming or do I have to drag you the whole way?"

"Where are we even going?!" Kouji demanded, fighting against Takuya's contagious optimism.

"School!"

Gritting his teeth, Kouji planted his feet so Takuya, too, was forced to stop. "We've already _been _to the school, idiot!"

"_To _the school, yes," Takuya said, wagging his finger. "But not _in _the school."

Kouji groaned, stupefied at Takuya's idea, yet also somehow impressed. In fact, Kouji himself should have thought to look inside the school building. If one wanted to be alone on a weekend, there were few better places to go than into a school, and Kouichi surely would have realized this. Despite himself, Kouji felt hope returning.

"Fine. Let's go."

Much to Kouji's annoyance, Takuya whooped. "This is it, I just know it! Kouichi has _got _to be here!"

Kouji's phone rang at that moment, and the Warrior of Light took the opportunity to gesture his best friend to silence. "What?" he answered sourly.

"_Sheesh, Kouji. Could you be any more moody?"_

"JP!" Kouji raged. "Where have you been!?"

"_What _is_ it with people today?" _JP moaned, but when Kouji growled, he chuckled nervously and explained,_ "I was at Hamano Park. I had to check some experiments with my science partner." _Kouji snorted. Of course. He had to choose today to stop procrastinating._ "What's going on today, anyhow? Zoe wouldn't talk to me. She seemed stressed."_

Irritation rose in Kouji, but he curtailed it to a simple, "Big surprise."

"_Would you just tell me what the heck is going on!?" _JP cried.

Kouji's pace slowed, and he closed his eyes. _I've got to keep my temper under control, _he thought. _I can't take this out on the others or none of us will do Kouichi any good! _He took a deep breath, once more struggling to maintain control, only this time he wasn't fighting against anger. He was fighting against tears. "Kouichi's missing," he whispered.

The other end of the line was silent, and Kouji took the opportunity to shakily switch the phone to his other ear. He set his eyes on a tree across the road and spoke again:

"No one's seen him since last night."

JP hesitated once more, then murmured, _"Oh, man! I'm…I'm so sorry Kouji. I should have realized my phone was on silent! Man… Missing…" _Kouji swallowed hard, grateful for the other boy's concern. He wanted to apologize for his outburst, but JP continued._ "Well, I'll go look, too. I mean, it doesn't make up for not being there earlier, but…I'll do what I can, okay?" _Kouji tried to say something, but couldn't get the words out. JP waited for a second, then, seeming to understand Kouji's silence, sighed. _"I'm sorry, Kouji. Bye."_

Kouji quickly hung up and picked up his pace, keeping several steps ahead of Takuya so he could regain his composure. A bitter laugh escaped him. _Of course he'd be worried, _he berated himself. _Kouichi's everyone's friend. Just because he's my brother doesn't mean they don't have a right to be upset. _Blinking tears away, Kouji spotted the school ahead and sped up even more.

_They all want to find him just as much as I do. _He risked a glance over his shoulder to where Takuya was hurrying to keep up. _Even Takuya. _Kouji sighed. He'd always prided himself on remaining calm no matter what, and yet here he was, lashing out at his friends. Truth be told, he was beginning to wonder if he was hindering their search effort more than he was helping it. In everything else, Kouji could control his emotions in an instant, but when it came to his twin…he just lost it.

Kouji stopped several feet from the school's front door. Takuya gingerly came up beside him, glancing at him as if he wanted to ask a question. Seeming to decide against it, he walked up to the door and tried the handle.

"Locked," Takuya grumbled, already moving on to the next one. Each of them met him with the same defiance. Kouji sighed as they circled around the school, checking every door and window along the way.

After a moment of fiddling with his cell, Kouji dialed Zoe's number and lifted it to his ear.

"_Hello?" _she asked wearily.

"Hey, Zoe."

"_Kouji! What's up? Any luck?"_

"Not yet. JP's out looking, though."

"_Good," _Zoe said, though Kouji could hear that she was holding back.

"So…what happened?" Kouji ventured. "Between you and him, I mean."

"_I was frustrated. Have you heard the recording he was on his cell phone? You have to wait like five minutes to leave a message!"_

"It can't be that bad."

"_It is," _Zoe insisted._ "So where are you now?"_

Kouji paused to observe Takuya as he threw his full weight against a window. "Breaking into the school," he deadpanned.

"_What!" _Zoe shrieked, and Kouji almost smiled.

"We checked at the school and Tommy's elementary school. He wasn't there, so we started checking parks, stores… Then Takuya got the bright idea that Kouichi might be in the school. He dragged me back here and started checking all the doors and windows." Suddenly Kouji caught sight of Takuya apparently trying to dig his fingers and toes into the spaces between the bricks. "What…?" He lowered the phone. "Takuya! What are you doing?"

"I think this window might be open!" Takuya grunted, straining to pull himself up only to fall back to the ground.

Kouji looked at the windows around Takuya, finally catching sight of one directly above him that was, indeed, open. "It's on the second floor!" he pointed out.

"So give me a boost!"

"There's no way Kouichi could've gotten up there!"

After one last try, Takuya stopped to catch his breath and stalked away. "Fine! I'm going to check over here!"

Kouji rolled his eyes. "Sorry about that," he said into the phone, through which he could hear Zoe giggle. "Takuya's being…well, himself. Where are you?"

"_I ran into Tommy a couple of hours ago. We finished checking the parks and the mall…We're headed for the library now."_

_The library, _Kouji thought. _Of course! _"Well, good luck. I'll call you later."

**-(--)-**

The streetlight beams pooled on the ground around Zoe's feet as she trudged along, Tommy at her side. Nothing. Zoe was sure they had checked everywhere, but there was no sign of Kouichi. The parks. The schools. Stores. Movie theater. Library. Restaurants. Gyms. Zoe's head swam with all the locations she had been to, though half of them (she couldn't remember which) she had not gone to, but had only heard of from the others.

In the back of her mind, Zoe ran over the city, certain there was somewhere she was forgetting. Over and over, she had to ask herself if she had gone somewhere. There had to be one place they hadn't checked, and that was where Kouichi was.

As her next step took her out of the bubble of light, she shivered. Was he even alright? He hadn't called home all day, or any of their cell phones. What was wrong?

_He must be hurt! _Zoe fretted. _He was sick on Friday – that's what caused all this! He went out to get some air, then got even sicker and passed out somewhere. He hasn't woken up yet, and…_ Zoe choked back a sob, trying desperately not to disturb Tommy, who had almost fallen asleep as he walked. Breath coming in shaky gasps, the blonde covered her mouth. _What if he's dying?! We have to find him – the hospital!_

Zoe almost stopped to go back to the hospital, but one glance at Tommy changed her mind. The poor kid was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and would be tired enough tomorrow. He didn't need another wild goose chase across town to keep him up later. And that's all it was – a wild goose chase. Kouichi wouldn't be at the hospital. On some level, Zoe was sure of it, and that unshakeable knowledge comforted her to some extent; at least he wasn't alone in a hospital bed.

Then again, Zoe almost wished he _were _in the hospital. At least then, she'd know he didn't have to fend for himself. If he was sick or hurt, she wouldn't want him lying helplessly in some alley.

Sighing, Zoe lifted her cell. JP had called a while ago, advising her to go home, and Zoe had volunteered to relay the message to Kouji. It was late, after ten, and their parents would be getting worried. At the time, Tommy had been falling asleep on a bench while Zoe checked one last park, so she had relented and walked him home. By now, his apartment building was coming into view.

But she had yet to call Kouji.

Knowing him, he was still out looking; the only thing Zoe wasn't sure of was whether Takuya was still with him. _Well, if I call him now he might actually get home before midnight. _As the phone rang, she silently framed her argument. Still, how could she tell him to give up on his brother so _he _could get enough sleep?

"_Yeah?"_

Zoe frowned at Kouji's tired, heavy voice. She could tell he was close to losing hope; he needed to get home before he collapsed on the street.

"Hey, Kouji," she began tentatively. "It's late, you know."

"_I know." _Already, the kendo student sounded defensive. And why not? He knew Zoe was going to tell him to go home, just as she knew he felt an obligation to keep looking. Kouji's sense of moral duty could drive him to do just about anything, and even farther when coupled with a brother's love.

"…Tommy's pretty tired," she said haltingly. "I'm walking him home. JP's headed home, too, I think…You should probably call it a night."

Kouji didn't say anything for a moment, and the Warrior of Wind wondered if he would even bother replying. _"I already made Takuya go home. There's just one more place I'm gonna check."_

"Can't it wait till tomorrow?" Zoe pleaded. _One more place _could turn into two, then from there into dozens, as long as Kouji was alone.

"_No."_

Zoe knew that voice well. It was Kouji's most stubborn tone, spoken by one _far _beyond convincing. Maybe if she were more awake, Zoe would have argued, but today had drained her of all energy. "…Fine, just don't stay out too late."

Kouji hesitated just long enough for Zoe to know he was being truly honest. _"I won't."_

"See you tomorrow, then."

"_Bye."_

**-(--)-**

Kouji hung up almost reluctantly, clutching his phone like a lifeline. Takuya had gone home over thirty minutes ago on the condition that Kouji would follow suit. Now Zoe had asked for the same promise. Leaning his head against the window of the nearly empty subway car, Kouji laid aside his doubts. He had intended to obey Takuya, knowing full well he was tired enough to walk right past Kouichi without realizing it.

Then it had slapped him in the face, the same fear that had lurked in the corner of his mind all day. It was the part of him that continuously insisted Kouichi wasn't in Shibuya, or even in the Real World.

_No. _Kouji shook his head to dislodge the unwarranted suspicions. The Digital World hadn't called on the Legendary Warriors in a year; why now? But that corner of his brain, like the rest of Kouji, was too stubborn to be ignored. Debating all the way, he had walked to the Jiyuugaoka subway station, bought a ticket, and entered the car.

He stood up restlessly, suddenly hit by a moment of déjà vu. This could have been the same car as a year previous. Kouji would have stood here, leaning moodily against the wall. Takuya would have come crashing in there, across from him, out of breath and quite possibly out of his mind. And there…over there, two rings from the door Takuya had used, was where Kouichi would have stood. His hands would have been gripping the ring, effectively closing out the rest of the world to his dark and troubled thoughts.

Here. Here was where the three of them had met for the first time – perhaps they hadn't introduced themselves, but they were together, all called by fate and soon to be inseparable.

_Now approaching Shibuya Station._

Once the train had stopped, Kouji squeezed out among a phantom throng racing home. In his memory, he was dimly aware that Takuya and Kouichi were both following him, ducking and weaving through adults to keep his black ponytail in sight as he plodded to the elevator. Here and there, a present-day commuter would disrupt Kouji's illusion, but the station was nearly deserted tonight, so the parallel remained intact.

In both times, Kouji walked into the elevator, turned around, pressed the button for the lowest floor. But it was only in the past that Takuya flew in at the last second to hitch a ride to the unknown. It was only in the past that Kouichi came one second too late, though in the present Kouji could have sworn he had seen a face between the closing doors.

The elevator descended. When the present-day elevator stopped, the memory continued on, slowly disappearing into unfathomable depths and shattering the surreal moment.

No one was there. Kouji almost wished there had been someone there, waiting for a ride, so he could deny the truth. Never had he been so disappointed in a machine fulfilling its purpose. But even he had to face reality eventually, stepping out of the elevator and away from the prospect of a Trailmon station. He turned abruptly, opting for the stairs over the uncompromising elevator.

At a landing, one landing in particular, he stopped. This was where Kouichi had fallen a year earlier. Kouji could remember coming here after defeating Lucemon, a mad rush down the stairs ending in a heart-stopping emptiness. A year ago, Kouji had panicked, certain the empty landing meant Kouichi's death.

It had been Takuya who had found the blue baseball cap, and that had been enough to give Kouji hope.

Now Kouichi was missing. Again.

Kouji pounded the wall, wincing as his phone's antenna jabbed painfully into his palm. "Why does everything happen to him?" he muttered, fighting down fresh pain. "He doesn't deserve any of this!"

A face, smiling kindly, appeared in his mind's eye, the face of the only person Kouji knew who had suffered so much and maintained the purest heart despite it all. He saw Kouichi, memory upon memory flashing in sequence. The first glimpse of Kouichi, in Sakkakumon. The first time Kouji had heard his brother's voice. Ridding Kouichi of his corrupt Spirits forever. The true power of the Spirits. Fighting IceDevimon. The Village of Beginnings. Ophanimon's library. Kouji's promise to his brother.

A single tear slipped down Kouji's cheek.

"Why?" he whispered. _He was always so selfless, even when he was faced with his own death. Out of all of us, why is he the one who suffers so much?!_

The Dark Area.

Kouji flinched as the memory surfaced. He remembered every action, every word, as if it were happening at that very moment. Kouichi had been filled with a will that was beyond Kouji. He knew how painful it would be; he had heard the agony of Kouji and the others. But he also knew he was the only one who could do the task set before him.

_No, _Kouji corrected. _Light and Darkness. Either of us could have made that sacrifice._

But Kouji couldn't ignore the peace that had come over his twin when the attack finally took its toll. He was sad, certainly, perhaps even a little upset that it had to end this way, but he had said something that Kouji could never forget.

'_My brother, I can't tell you what it means to me to have met you. I have no regrets.'_

"Why?" Kouji choked out, tasting his own salty tears in his mouth.

'_**No regrets.'**_

"WHY?!"

A warm tingling sensation in his hand brought another image to mind – the Spirits of Darkness, hovering contentedly in his grasp. His whole body had tingled then, filled with a new level of sorrow and doubt, but also with peace. Tingling with the Darkness.

"_Kouji."_

That voice. Kouji's eyes widened, tears running dry and memories fading. _Ophanimon!_ Shocked, Kouji looked at his hand, glowing softly against the wall. He numbly pulled it back, tentatively opening his fist. Blue and white. A glowing screen. The symbol of Light staring him in the face.

His D-Tector.

* * *

**Well, there you go! We've got one more chapter before we get back to Kouichi. Anyway, I think I've wasted enough of your time for today.**

**-Child of Healing**

Word Count: 5661


	5. Here We Go Again

**Version 2.0 (May 15, 2007): Yeah... Here it is.**

**Disclaimer: Sugah, I don't own Digimon, so why don't y'all just give a gal some space?**

**Old Demons**

**Chapter 5: Here We Go Again

* * *

**

_The game of life is the game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds, and words return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy.__  
__-Florence Shinn

* * *

_

_Beowulfmon stood on an empty plain, sword drawn and waiting to be used. Both hands tightened, waiting for an enemy, a friend, someone. The air hung unnaturally still around him, thick with predawn mist. Turning slowly, the Warrior scanned his surroundings, ears pricking anxiously for any noise._

_A terror-filled scream broke the silence, and Kouji, finding himself devolved, spun around to find the source. The mist dispersed before him, creating a tunnel of sorts to another being, who was suspended in the air._

'_Kouichi!' Kouji cried, staggering forward. Beowulfmon's sword weighed him down, but in his current state, he didn't dare abandon it. While his right side was so burdened, his left hand was straining forward. Facing Kouichi, Kouji reluctantly lifted his D-Tector to scan his twin's corrupt Spirits._

_Fractal Code appeared around the Warrior of Darkness, whose scream seemed to be contained in a small area around him, only dully reaching Kouji's ears. _But wait… _Kouji faltered, trying to focus on his brother, whose form wavered in and out of sight. _Where are his Spirits?

_A low laugh reverberated around him, growing alternatively louder and quieter as if carried on a faltering wind. Kouji turned, but, instinctively knowing he had been deceived, continued until he had completed a full circle._

_The wind picked up, whipping cold rain into Kouji's face as he searched the trees for his brother. The change of scenery registered, he supposed, in that he knew it was different. While that was true, though, he didn't react; the urgency was too great. He had to find Kouichi before – before _something _happened. He knew what would happen, he was sure of it, but he couldn't put the knowledge into words._

'_Looking for this?'_

_Even before Kouji turned, he could sense the environment changing once more. He now stood in a corridor built of emerald bricks, which stretched farther than he could see in either direction, unbroken by any doors or side passages. Lacking any form of illumination, it was lost to gloom, though far later than Kouji would have expected. It took three revolutions before he saw anyone, then suddenly they were there: the other Warriors._

'_Whatcha lookin' for, buddy?' Takuya asked._

'_Kouichi,' Kouji answered warily, glancing between the gogglehead and the other three children._

_Zoe frowned. 'Who?'_

'_Who!?' the black-haired boy cried. 'Kouichi! My twin brother! Your _friend_!'_

_Tommy and JP exchanged a confused glance. 'What's with you today, Kouki?' JP asked._

'_Kouki?' Kouji scowled. 'What's going on here?'_

'_We were walking,' Tommy explained._

_Keeping his mouth closed for a long moment, Kouji glanced among his friends (if they were, in fact, his friends) and down the corridor both directions. 'Walking,' he stated, voice saturated with impatience._

'_Yep,' Takuya beamed. 'That's right, buddy! Walking.'_

'_Where?' Tommy and Takuya pointed one way, while Zoe and JP pointed the other, though none of them bothered to look the direction they were indicating. They merely grinned at Kouji, whose brow furrowed. 'What's that way?'_

_Takuya laced his hands behind his head. 'Nothing.'_

_Tommy cocked his head to the side. 'Everything.'_

_Snorting, JP rolled his eyes at the other boys. 'Questions.'_

_But Zoe, locking eyes with Kouji, grabbed his hand in hers and stepped forward. 'Truth.'_

**-(--)-**

Kouji woke slowly, pushing long, problematic strands of his black hair out of his face as he struggled to make sense out of his dream. It didn't take a genius to figure out why he had dreamt of searching for Kouichi, but the last part had him stupefied. Never in his life had Kouji been one to believe in a greater significance in dreams, but even he had to wonder. Why were they walking, apparently for no reason? And what was with "Kouki"?

Shrugging off the answerless questions, Kouji shuffled to the bathroom to prepare for a tortuous day of school. In a daze, he brushed his hair and teeth before returning to his room to change. Even before he walked to the stairs, he could hear his parents in the kitchen. He trudged down the stairs, running through a mental checklist of things he couldn't forget to take to school, putting off facing his parents.

"Kouji?" Satomi asked hesitantly.

The boy cringed unwillingly, turning at length to face his step-mother, who stood on the far side of the table, hands clasped at her waist. Kousei stood behind her, a hand on either shoulder to comfort her. Both stared at Kouji with tired eyes.

It all seemed so empty. Even though nothing was different about this day so far, a deep loss hung over the family.

Kouji firmed his chin to hold in tears that suddenly threatened. "Yeah?" As soon as the reply was out, the Warrior of Light felt his composure slip away. He turned away, embarrassed.

Slender arms wrapped around his shoulders, pulling his body close. Satomi bowed her head, and a few tears dripped onto his forehead. Choking back his own tears, Kouji returned the embrace with a feverish yearning he didn't know he was capable of. Kousei, too, joined the embraced. As the threesome mourned together, they could almost sense each other's thoughts – thoughts almost exclusively of Kouichi.

"It'll be alright," Satomi whispered, as much to calm herself as to reassure her step-son. "We'll find him."

Kousei, the first to back away, nodded firmly. "We won't stop looking until we do."

When Kouji stepped back, he got his first good look at his father. Though he knew everyone in the Minamoto-Kimura family was distraught over Kouichi's disappearance, the extent of Kousei's exhaustion – the dark circles under his eyes, the suddenly pronounced worry lines around his weary eyes and down-turned mouth – took Kouji by surprise.

Kousei smiled painfully. "Kouichi's still my son, Kouji. There's nothing I wouldn't do to make sure he's safe."

Dumbfounded, Kouji stared at his father as Satomi turned and walked to the refrigerator. From the slight tremble in her hands and the quick, preoccupied movement, both father and son knew she was just trying to control her nerves.

"I can't imagine how his mother must feel," she murmured. "I'd be devastated, and she doesn't even have someone to comfort her!" She looked at Kouji. "You should go over there tonight. She needs some company."

Kouji nodded, silently amused at her almost sisterly concern for Tomoko. On some strange, sad level, it reminded Kouji of his own relationship with his twin. _I wonder what they would be like as digidestined, _he mused, sitting down for breakfast. He quickly abandoned the thought, determined to make it through the day so he and the others could get back to the Digital World. As much as he felt he should visit Tomoko, he knew he needed to find Kouichi first. Better to return her missing son to her than to put off finding him to offer shallow comfort.

Only at the door, where he would have normally met his twin to walk to school, did he allow himself a moment of silent sorrow. Then he was outside, walking, head down, shoulders hunched, through the well-to-do neighborhood.

**-(--)-**

First period: science. After a brief stop at his locker, Kouji slipped into the classroom and glanced at the teacher. He and Takuya never had finished their homework the night before. Kouji shook his head. If he was going to get an extension, he had to ask soon; there were only a few minutes left before class started. Sensing the teacher's eyes on him, Kouji set his bag down and faced the man.

"Kouji," the teacher acknowledged.

"Mr. Asami." Kouji looked toward the door nervously. "Takuya and I don't have our homework done."

Mr. Asami nodded several times, studying the boy's face. "Because of your brother." Kouji began to whip his head around, but stopped quickly, struggling to maintain his composure. Mr. Asami sighed. "I watched the news, Kouji, and all I can say is I'm sorry. You and Takuya can have all the extra time you need."

"We'll only need one night," the Warrior of Light snapped before he could stop himself. "…But thanks anyway."

At that moment, as Mr. Asami opened his mouth to reply, a trio of students walked through the door, encircling a desk while talking in soft tones. Kouji took that as his cue to end the conversation and retreated to his own seat. He sat down, grabbing a pencil to tap furiously on the desktop. The room slowly filled with students, who clustered in small groups or scrambled to finish their homework. At the last minute, Takuya rushed in, earning a glare from the teacher.

"We didn't finish yesterday!" Takuya whispered as he took his seat next to Kouji.

"Relax," Kouji interrupted. "I already talked to Asami. We can turn it in tomorrow. Hey…something happened last night. I –"

"Pass in your homework and put your books and papers away for a quiz," Mr. Asami announced. Takuya groaned loud enough that he didn't hear Kouji do the same.

"Never mind," Kouji whispered. "Just meet me in the courtyard at lunch." Takuya gave him a strange look, no doubt wondering why he wanted to meet in the courtyard rather than their normal table in the lunchroom. Unfortunately, Mr. Asami came by at that moment with the quizzes, and Takuya had to bury his curiosity for the time being.

**-(--)-**

The next few classes crawled by, though by the end of second period Kouji had managed to salvage his focus and even finished his homework. After all, there was no sense in compounding the homework he already had to make up. Threading through the hall between classes, he ran through the rest of his classes. Nothing major was happening in any of them, so if he was lucky he could get off without any more homework.

Then he stepped through the door to his third period class. Several seats were still empty, but one in particular caught Kouji's eye: the second one in the third row. Kouichi's seat. Kouichi's second period was just down the hall from this room, while Kouji's was halfway across the school, so Kouichi always beat his twin here. Somehow, seeing it empty stopped Kouji mid-step, causing the girl behind him to huff and shoulder her way past as he stood in the doorway and stared at an empty chair.

Needless to say, third period did not go well.

But he managed to make it through the class and hesitantly asked his P.E. teacher for permission to sit out. If there was anything good about Kouichi's disappearance making city-wide news, it was that all the teachers were more than willing to go easy on Kouji. Normally he wouldn't have accepted their pity, but with a digivice resting in his pocket, he would rather conserve his energy than waste it running around for an hour.

In the gym, he lounged against the wall, idly watching the other seventh grade boys. They were playing soccer again, but for once Takuya wasn't obliterating his opponents. He kept sending Kouji prolonged glances, often only returning his attention to the game when a teammate shouted a warning. In fact, he didn't score a single goal the whole hour.

Takuya changed as fast as he could and shoved his way through the stream of boys still entering the locker room the instant he was finished. Kouji stood out of the way, scanning the hallway and adjusting his backpack.

"Hey." Takuya hurried over, frowning at his best friend's preoccupied mood. "So, wait, what was it you wanted to tell me?"

Before the question was even finished, Kouji plunged into the crowd and strode towards the lunchroom. Takuya hurried after him, throwing out a hand to catch the black-haired boy's shoulder. "Kouji!" he laughed, coming up alongside the other boy.

Shrugging off the hand, Kouji turned his head. "What?"

"I asked you a question back there, buddy! Didn't you hear me?"

"Yeah."

Takuya's grin faded, and he slowed a bit. "And?"

"And what?" Kouji, too, slowed, but he came to a complete stop and glanced back at Takuya, who looked thoroughly perplexed.

"And…what were you going to tell me in science?"

Kouji snorted, stalking over to a pair of doors. Bright sunlight shone through the glass. "I already told you."

Finally getting fed up with Kouji's behavior, Takuya stormed after him, grabbing Kouji's elbow as he reached to open the door. The Warrior of Light sent his friend a withering glare, but Takuya didn't relent. "What do you mean you already told me?!" he hissed. "You just told me to meet you at lunch!"

"Exactly, Takuya," Kouji snapped, wrenching free. "I told you to meet me in the courtyard. So go get the others and meet me back here. _Then _I'll tell you."

Takuya gave in, standing back as Kouji threw open the doors, but came forward as the twin stepped through. "Kouji?"

"What?" he growled.

"Aren't you going to eat anything?"

"I'm not hungry."

"You sure?" At Kouji's impatient frown, Takuya gave up. It was obvious he wouldn't be getting any answers until everyone was in the courtyard. Subdued, he joined the lunch line, scanning half-heartedly for Zoe and JP until he reached the cashier. As an afterthought, he added an apple to his tray, then paid and resumed his scanning of the cafeteria. Several moments later, he spotted Zoe at their normal table, JP only a few feet away.

"There you are Takuya!" Zoe cried as he approached.

Setting his tray down, JP grinned at the gogglehead. "Hey, Takky! You seen Kouji?"

Takuya nodded, smothering a grimace at the nickname. "He wants us to meet him in the courtyard."

"The courtyard?" Zoe frowned. "Why there?"

"Some secret he won't tell until we get there," Takuya replied.

Zoe and JP exchanged a glance, and as she stood up, she asked, "Think it has anything to do with Kouichi?"

Snorting, Takuya led the others out of the cafeteria. "Well, considering I haven't ever seen him get so worked up about anything else, I'd say yeah."

They found Kouji leaning against the trunk of the only tree, staring up at the sky. Frowning worriedly, the threesome took a seat at the picnic table and glanced over at their friend. He gave no indication that he had noticed their arrival, and had yet to make a move.

"Hey!" Takuya called to break the silence, tossing his friend the apple. Kouji caught it without looking down.

Takuya raised his eyebrows at Zoe, who glanced to JP for an answer. He shook his head quickly, gesturing to Takuya. Sighing, Takuya picked at his food, figuring it would give him something to do until Kouji snapped back to reality. The others followed his example. After a few bites, Kouji joined them, twirling the apple before he bit into it. Once he was finished, he set the core down on the table and reached into his pocket.

Takuya was the first to see a flash of white and dark blue and promptly choked on his chicken wing. Beside him, JP jumped, quickly pounding him on the back.

"JP, stop!" Zoe cried once the situation registered. "That's not helping!"

Takuya coughed, eventually catching his breath. He gaped at Kouji. "Where…How…What the heck is going on here?" Looking over at the Warrior of Light in confusion, Zoe and JP caught sight of his D-Tector.

"I went to the Shibuya Station last night," Kouji said nonchalantly. "I was walking up the stairs when my cell phone turned into this."

"Really?" Zoe asked.

"It was on the landing where Kouichi fell last year."

"Really?!" she hissed, surprise escalating into alarm.

"I don't like this," said Takuya, voicing her concern.

"Yeah," JP agreed. "It's a little too convenient that you got your D-Tector back on the same day Kouichi disappeared, and in the same place he first went to the Digital World."

Kouji chuckled quietly. "Don't I know it."

Zoe looked around at the three boys, brow furrowed. "I say we get Tommy after school and go back there. Y'know, see what happens."

Kouji nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

**-(--)-**

Feet pounded on the pavement, half a dozen elementary school students chasing down a soccer ball as it skittered toward the fence. One particular brown-haired boy charged ahead of the others, positioning himself behind the ball and kicking it back down the field. Pausing for a moment, he cheered when a teammate, a girl with two orange pigtails, scored a goal.

"Nice kick, Tommy!" one girl called, wiping sweat off her forehead.

The boy returned her smile, jogging back to the center of the field. "Nice one yourself, Sayaka!" They exchanged a high-five before turning back to the game.

Across the street, four slightly older children shifted uncertainly in the shadow of a large oak tree. Kouji and Takuya stood on the curb, watching Tommy but hesitant to do anything. Meanwhile, Zoe and JP carried on a quiet conversation closer to the tree trunk.

"Are we going to do something, or are we just going to stand here all day?" JP whispered.

Zoe shrugged. "Beats me. I would've thought Kouji would've charged over there ten minutes ago."

"Yeah. I wonder why he hasn't yet."

Shrugging again, Zoe turned her attention to the crowd of kids across the street. "I guess it would be kinda hard to explain why Tommy has to leave without letting too much slip. Still…"

"He looks so happy," Takuya muttered, drawing the pair's attention. "Man, I wish I could forget all this so easily!"

Kouji crossed his arms. "Maybe we should just go without him."

"What?!" Takuya cried. "Look, I know you and Tommy aren't the best of friends, but he has as much right to look for Kouichi as any of the rest of us! And how would you feel if we went back to the Digital World without telling you?"

Fuming, Kouji wheeled on Takuya. "Don't you _ever _accuse me of not liking Tommy again, Takuya!" he hissed.

"Well, hey! I'm not the one who wants to exclude him!"

"Don't you get it, Takuya? I'm not excluding him; I'm trying to _spare_ him! I don't want to be the one who has to bring him back to reality for something that probably will end up being a huge waste of time!"

Zoe quickly stepped in between the boys, a hand up to keep either from throwing a punch. "Guys, settle down! Look, Kouji, I know how you feel! I wish Tommy didn't have to deal with this either, but Takuya's right! He has every right to know what's going on."

"Besides," JP said as gently as he could. "He's a Legendary Warrior just like the rest of us. We all face things kids our age shouldn't have to face, whether it's fair or not."

Takuya nodded. "The important thing is that we face those things together."

Kouji turned away from them to watch Tommy again. "I know," he murmured finally. "That's why we have to find Kouichi soon."

A melancholy silence settled over the group, and they all stared at their feet, wondering when things had gotten so depressing. After a moment, Takuya shook his head and straightened up. "Right, so what are we waiting for? Let's get Tommy and go!"

Tommy caught sight of his friends as they crossed the street and quickly bid his classmates goodbye. Hurrying over to the older kids, the Warrior of Ice frown at their grim expressions.

"Hey guys…" he started, slowing warily as he approached. "What's wrong?"

Takuya, JP, and Zoe glanced at Kouji, who didn't acknowledge them as he reached into his pocket. Avoiding Tommy's confused gaze, Kouji pulled his D-Tector out of his pocket. For several seconds, all Tommy could do was stare, but, regaining his composure, he grinned.

"You mean…sweet! Let's go!" The others sweatdropped at his eagerness, but shook it off as he frowned. "Oh, wait…I have to go home first. Mom's really overprotective today."

"Let's all stop at home," Zoe suggested, "tell our parents we're going to look for Kouichi. It isn't exactly a lie."

"And get some food while we're at it," JP said, drooling.

"Yeah," Takuya laughed. "Batteries and rabbit food get old really quick. Of course, those meat apples weren't half bad."

"Just as long as you two don't end up cooking anything." Zoe glanced at Takuya, who flushed red, and Kouji, who merely rolled his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Takuya demanded.

"That your cooking stinks!" Zoe retorted. "In more ways than one."

"Would you be quiet!?" Kouji interrupted moodily. "Meet me at the train station as soon as you can."

**-(--)-**

Kouji was, not surprisingly, the first one there. To any passersby, he would have appeared to be just a normal boy waiting for someone. Even if they had known him, nothing would have seemed out of place: the familiar blue bandana was tied securely around his head, and a light jacket, not an unusual sight this time of year, had been thrown on over his tee-shirt. A knapsack was slung over one shoulder, held in a white-knuckle grip as his foot tapped impatiently.

One by one the others arrived, each with a jacket and a bag. As was the case with Kouji, nothing about their attire was out of place. In fact, they looked almost the same as a year earlier – from Takuya's trademark goggles to Zoe's lavender hat – despite different outfits, the most notable of which was Zoe's insistence on wearing pants. Tommy was the last to arrive, and the large orange hat (now a rare sight) raised a chuckle from Takuya.

"Hey Tommy! I thought you got rid of that thing a long time ago."

Tommy blushed. "I found it in my closet. I figured it'd be nice to have something familiar along."

"Yeah," Zoe said, adjusting her own hat. "I figured the same thing." Tommy smiled shyly at her.

Kouji sighed in irritation. "Can we get going already?"

With several rolled eyes and more than one silent retort, they bought their tickets and settled into the train. An anxious silence settled. Tommy, foot tapping rapidly, was hunched over in a seat next to Zoe, who sat on one foot and stared absently out the window. JP was across from them, and, feeling inexplicably annoyed, he glared at a small group of high school girls who were giggling on the other side of the car.

Takuya and Kouji stood nearby, holding onto the rails. Takuya stared at Kouji, slightly concerned, while Kouji forced himself not to react. Obviously tense, the black-haired boy jerked every time the train shifted. With his left hand shoved into the pocket that held his D-Tector, he held on tightly with only his right hand.

The few minutes it took to get to the Shibuya station ticked by. When they arrived, they filed off, all feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension that forestalled conversation. No one took notice of them as they entered the otherwise empty elevator.

Kouji reached for the elevator buttons, but several things happening at once stopped him. The lights in the elevator blinked off as it lurched down the shaft. Kouji's D-Tector let out a blinding flash of light. Four cell phones rang.

The five Digidestined threw their arms out, flailing to regain their balance as the elevator screamed down the shaft. Even though they had experienced the same thing a year earlier, the sounds of rattling cables and whistling wind unnerved them. Shaking, Kouji's hand flew to his pocket to pull out his D-Tector. A familiar symbol filled the screen.

"Ophanimon." The other four tore their eyes away from the floor indicator by the elevator doors and stared at Kouji, wide-eyed. They all reached for their ringing phones simultaneously.

"_It is time."_

Four streams of light erupted from Kouji's while-and-blue device, shooting into the phones, which responded by glowing various colors. Seconds later, the lights faded, leaving a black-and-red, blue-and-yellow, white-and-green, and two-tone-purple D-Tectors in their hands. Each one had Ophanimon's symbol on the screen, which promptly faded.

The elevator crashed to a halt while they were still distracted, sending them all sprawling on the floor. One by one they stood up, stumbling through the open doors.

There was one Trailmon.

"Mole!" Zoe squealed, sprinting forward.

"Well if it isn't the digidestined!" the digimon mumbled with a hint of pleasure, blushing as the girl wrapped her arms around him.

"So this is it," Tommy muttered as the others surged forward, sans Kouji, who remained silently by the elevator.

JP heard and stopped, glancing at him. "This is what?"

"We're really going back," he said, looking up at four faces turned toward him in concern. "Another crazy adventure."

"Yeah." Takuya raised his D-Tector as if seeing it for the first time. "I guess so."

* * *

**-Child of Healing**

Word count: 4133


	6. Gateway to Dusk

**Version 2.0 (June 1, 2007): An uncharacteristically short chapter, but I couldn't find all that much to expand on without getting redundant. Oh, well. A few things are explained in this chapter, so I guess I have to keep it. XP**

**Disclaimer: Dude! Digimon isn't mine, dude! But, dude! I do own one dude – Sulamon.**

**Old Demons**

* * *

_Those poor spirits…neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.  
__-Theodore Roosevelt_

* * *

_Dark Vortex._

That was the last thing he remembered for what seemed like an eternity. After that flash of red, darkness had closed in. It was distinctly different than the usual darkness of sleep, or even the kind that had permeated his dreams over the last several months. In some way he couldn't quite describe, it was both more suppressing and more acute than normal sleep.

Eventually, though, it had begun to wear off, and almost before Kouichi had become consciously aware of the darkness, it left him altogether. The first thing he noticed was that he was no longer wearing his pajamas, or to be more specific, he noticed that he was wearing tennis shoes. Confused, he opened his eyes to observe his new outfit, but was greeted by inky blackness. After blinking several times, Kouichi forced himself to admit that he really was surrounded by this unwavering darkness.

Resigning himself to his other senses, Kouichi felt his clothes, which turned out to be in the same style as what he had worn to the Digital World a year earlier: a long-sleeved shirt with a polo shirt over it and plain pants. He wondered if they were the same articles exactly – or digital recreations, seeing as the shirts had been cut off him in the hospital – or new ones.

While he was musing over this, his eyes began to adjust to the surrounding darkness, and he could make out vague shapes, which soon separated into distinct objects in varying shades of black.

As far as Kouichi could tell, he was in a park. The trees were an ashy gray, but the gray of the leaves was tinted slightly green. The color seemed to radiate from within, fighting against the dark coating and giving the trees a ghostly aura. Here and there, coal-like picnic tables and benches would ring the trunk of a particularly large, leafy tree. If he focused hard enough, Kouichi could imagine people lounging in the shade of the tree on a hot summer's day. Through the trees, Kouichi spotted an ebony playground, including a swing set, two slides, and monkey bars.

The ground claimed the deepest hue, and if not for the various plants and tables resting on it, Kouichi would have doubted there was even anything solid beneath him. In contrast, the sky was a sickly white, though even that seemed to be its own variation on the omnipresent darkness and did nothing to light the park. There was a black hole in place of a sun, and intermittent storm clouds made the sky seem more real, however slightly.

"How do you like my home?"

Kouichi turned at the voice to find Duskmon standing there, helmet tucked under one arm. His pale hair framed an even paler face, which looked eerily human without the helmet. His eyes, once blood-red but now a deep crimson, studied Kouichi intently as he smirked, lips pressed together into a thin line. He was, in an ominous way…handsome.

"Where am I?" Kouichi asked, backing away.

"Dusk," the digimon said, raising his eyebrow. His face…With shorter hair and human clothes, it could have passed for that of a respectable businessman. Kouichi shuddered. "What? Not to your liking?"

"_What_ is this place?" Kouichi demanded, voice cracking.

"A shadow. A shadow of the Digital World, as well as of your world. The natives seem to call it Twilight; don't ask me why."

"Natives? You mean people actually live here? Or digimon?"

Duskmon smiled. It was possibly the creepiest think Kouichi had ever seen. "In a sense," the corrupted Warrior said. "Although to be precise, they are neither humans nor digimon. Similar, though."

Kouichi couldn't help scowling. Here he was, far from home in a black-and-white world, alone, and his former evil self was talking in riddles. Frustration and terror growing in him, he didn't know whether to yell at Duskmon or run away. "What are you talking about?" he spat at length.

Duskmon chuckled. "Oh, nothing too confusing. In fact, there's not all that much more to the explanation than what I just said." A strange look suddenly came over Duskmon's face, and his eyes grew distant, narrowing. He swore, shoving his helmet back onto his head. Scarlet fog seeped out of his armor's eyes, soon fading to a thin purple mist. Once it cleared, Kouichi saw no trace of Duskmon.

Confused, Kouichi turned a slow circle, searching, waiting for Duskmon to reappear. After a few moments, it became clear that the Warrior had truly left, at least for the time being, so Kouichi allowed himself to relax. The strangeness and stress of the situation, which had been pushed aside at Duskmon's arrival, returned. Feeling lightheaded, he stumbled over to the swings and took a seat on one. He stared at his feet as he attempted to sort out what exactly had happened and decide what to do next.

"I know when my dreams became nightmares," he sighed, suddenly aware of the silence. "So when did my nightmares become reality?" He shook his head, chuckling at his own words. Nightmares becoming reality. Sure. "I must be going crazy."

"You don't seem so crazy to me. But then, what do I know?" The voice laughed. Startled, Kouichi turned around to find a Gotsumon, or – remembering Duskmon's words – what looked like one. The digimon settled onto the swing next to the boy, a cracked magnifying glass bouncing against his gray rock chest. Kouichi couldn't keep himself from gaping. "What?" the digimon asked. "Is there something on my face?"

"No," Kouichi assured quickly. "No. I was just…What are you?"

"I'm a digimon, of course! Gotsumon's my name. What else would I be?!"

Kouichi blushed. "Sorry. I just…I mean, I heard that there weren't really digimon here, so I wasn't sure. I thought you looked like a Gotsumon, but since I heard that there weren't digimon, I was really confused, so…um…yeah."

"Do I know you?" Gotsumon asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"There's just something familiar about you. Do I know you from somewhere?"

Kouichi frowned. "I don't think so. Then again, I did go to the Digital World for a while, so maybe we met and I just forgot you. Oh, sorry! I didn't mean –"

"Oh, yeah! You look sorta like that crazy Legendary Warrior that helped me find the Spirit! You know, you talk a lot more than him. More friendly, too."

Kouichi laughed. "You must mean Kouji, my brother. And actually, he talks a lot more than me. I don't talk around people. Well, not _usually_ anyway," he added pointedly.

Gotsumon shrugged. "I have that effect on people. Anyway, what's your name?"

"Kouichi."

"Kouichi…Okay. Come on, Kouichi!" He hopped off the swing, grabbing Kouichi by the wrist and dragging him out of the park. Considering Kouichi was more than twice the digimon's height, the pair made for quite an unusual sight. Eventually they came to a road lined on one side by the park, which turned out to be one of the only clearings in a forest, and on the other by bleak gray plains. The road dead-ended at a lake, but a separate path led around the water to an enormous Victorian-style mansion.

"What is it?" Kouichi gasped.

"We call it Old Twilight," Gotsumon said. "It's where we all live."

"All? How many are there?"

Gotsumon led him onto the smaller path as he explained, "I guess 'all' isn't really right. There's around fifty of us here right now, mostly humans. Some of the digimon aren't willing to settle down. They wander around, but stay here overnight from time to time. Some even stay for a couple of days."

With a slight grunt, Gotsumon hopped across a patch of wet, mossy rock, then turned to help Kouichi as the boy slipped slightly on the moss. Throwing his arms out for balance, Kouichi blushed as the digimon's hand wrapped around his wrist.

"Huh, imagine that!" Gotsumon muttered. "One of the great Legendary Warriors trounced by a mossy rock." Kouichi's blush deepened. "You're just lucky I was here to save you from a slimy bath!" Chuckling, he continued walking.

Kouichi, however, paused. "Hey, Gotsumon?" he called. The digimon, stopping, turned around. "How'd you know I was a Legendary Warrior? I never told you that."

"You said you've been to the Digital World, though, right? Why else would you be there if you weren't one?"

Kouichi shook his head. "There were others who came on the Trailmon. I mean, Katsuharu and them were there for almost as long as…Well, they stayed almost until the final battle."

"Hm." Gotsumon thought that over for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, you _are _a Warrior, aren't you?"

"Well…yeah, but…"

"So that's it! I just assumed, and I happened to be right!"

Sighing, Kouichi followed the little Rookie as he once again began walking. When they made it around the lake, Gotsumon opened the mansion's door, gesturing Kouichi inside. So much was going on that for a minute Kouichi couldn't take anything in. When he came to his senses, he blinked in awe.

Beings – human and digimon alike – were everywhere; running, laughing, reading, even arguing. The building was at least ten stories high, and a few feet from the front door, youngsters ran through a large, indoor garden. The flowers had a hint of color in their petals, but like the rest of Dusk – or Twilight, or whatever – the hue was predominantly gray. Children ran to hide in the drab foliage, some barely able to walk. Digimon chased them – mostly In-Trainings, though Kouichi recognized several Babies and even a few Rookies. Teenage girls and young women watched from the edge of the courtyard and the second floor balcony.

Each floor had a balcony ringing the garden courtyard, hallways leading off to the left, right, and straight back. To Kouichi, it looked more like a hotel than a mansion. Kouichi could see people roaming the halls in pairs or trios; none seemed to be over thirty years old, and most of the boys were younger than fifteen. In addition to those in the garden, a few digimon were standing alone by the balconies.

"Who _are_ they?" Kouichi gasped.

"For all practical purposes, they're humans and digimon." A humanoid being in a cloak approached. All that was visible was a head of pure white hair and a vaguely feline face with two small fangs poking out from his mouth. Looking amazingly vivid in the colorless world, his eyes were two vertical honey-colored slits. "But if you want to be accurate, the 'digimon' are fragmented data streams and the 'humans' are more like psyches. Ghosts, you might say."

"Who – what are you?" Kouichi asked, starting to feel redundant.

"Maybe you should take a Digital World history class," Gotsumon whispered, only adding to the boy's frustration.

The newcomer smiled. "I'm afraid my story is a long and confusing one, so I will only tell you a portion of it. I was once an Ultimate digimon called Sulamon. Back then, I was one of the Digital World's greatest fighters. This was long before the war between Human- and Beast-type digimon, at a time when the Digital Powers were just becoming aware of lost data. You see, every so often a digimon was simply not reformatted. The Powers were working on a way to recover the lost data, but each day program integrity deteriorated a little more.

"Hoping to buy themselves time, they created this world," Sulamon continued. "It was beautiful, a perfect opposite of the Digital World, and connected to it. Quite by accident, it was also linked to the Human World. Oh, you wouldn't believe how beautiful it was! Trees were yellow with rich red leaves. The grass was red, the sky was orange. The sun was dark and cast shadows of light. It was Twilight."

Sulamon fell silent. "So…" Kouichi prompted with no response. After a few moments of silence, he tried again. "So they had to just live here forever?"

"Oh, not at all! This is more like a waiting room. The digimon come here and enjoy themselves until their data is drawn through the Gate and they are reborn in the Village of Beginnings. While here, they don't have to worry about permanently losing part of their data."

"So what about the humans? How did they get here? Can they ever leave?"

"We aren't exactly sure how they got here, and we haven't been able to send them home. Most don't remember their life before coming here, and those who do don't want to even think about it, let alone go back. They don't age – some have been here as long as I have. They make friends with the digimon, to the point where some digimon refuse to be reconfigured. This isn't a holding pen anymore. It's a home."

"So the digimon remember, but the humans don't?"

"Yes."

"If you've been here so long," Kouichi asked, "why haven't you been reconfigured?"

"I am this world's caretaker in Lowemon's absence."

_Lowemon? _Kouichi thought, gasping at the mention of his Spirit. He considered speaking up, but Sulamon hadn't noticed his reaction and kept talking.

"I used to merely check up on Twilight, but then the war started. Early on, the Village of Beginnings was destroyed. A similar place developed in this world – Terminal Village. All the digieggs and digimon came with it exactly as they were.

"Without the Village of Beginnings," Sulamon said, "all the digimon who were deleted were sent here. By the end of the war, there were thousands of digimon here. Early on, I moved here permanently to avoid the fighting. By that time I was sick of it."

"How many digimon are there now?" Kouichi asked.

Sulamon frowned. "Too many. After the war, the Legendary Warriors rebuilt the Village of Beginnings. All but the oldest inhabitants of Terminal Village were immediately reconfigured. The Warriors came here. Eight of them stabilized this world, each shaping their own Sector. Lobomon and Lowemon, however, stayed here. They made this mansion the Gatehouse."

"Gate…" Kouichi's voice trailed off. "What kind of gate was it?"

"A Gate between the worlds." Sulamon paused. "Perhaps it would be best to show you." Leaving Gotsumon behind, he led Kouichi to a corner of the room. They took an elevator to the top floor – twelve. There were no rooms, no halls to the left and right as they followed the balcony around. In stark contrast to the rest of the mansion, no one was on this floor. Even the sounds from down below seemed muffled by the distance and foliage, as if this floor were in a completely different building. Overhead, an intricately carved dome covered the courtyard.

The carpet here seemed more luxurious than that of the first floor, but that may have been due to the fact that the first floor had endured more foot traffic, wearing it down over the years. Here, though, everything seemed decades newer, the carpet still fluffy, the walls still smudge-free. It could have been a first class hotel from a black-and-white movie.

In the middle of the back leg of the balcony, this floor's only hallway stretched back, once again lacking doors. Eventually it dead-ended at another elevator, which Sulamon ushered Kouichi into. The boy was surprised to see that the inside panel was almost completely bare, bearing only two buttons, one to open the doors and one to close them. To his surprise, the elevator automatically started moving, taking them back down to the ground floor. The doors opened to reveal a round room large enough to house a soccer field with no exit besides the elevator.

This place was unlike anything Kouichi had yet seen in Dusk. Rather than being muted to grays and black, everything had been washed of color. It was all white, but cast into deep shadow, which had no apparent source and stretched waywardly in all directions.

Vines had overrun the room. They climbed the walls, as if searching for a crack to take advantage of, and the only section of wall devoid of the foliage was the elevator doors. The vines twisted up tree trunks, hanging limp from the barren branches. If Kouichi had counted, he would have seen there were ten trees arranged in a half-circle around the room's central fixture, which jutted several inches out from the far wall.

"The Gate," Sulamon confirmed. It was a large arch – about twenty feet tall – made out of what looked like metal. Lines and symbols covered the Gate, overlapping so much they were impossible to decipher. A hairline seam ran down the middle and gave the impression of a massive pair of doors.

"How does it work?" Kouichi asked, approaching the Gate to run his hands over the carvings.

"That's something I don't know. There were symbols on the Gate that would glow one by one. When they were all lit, Lowemon would come. He'd travel for a while, surveying this world, gathering digimon who wanted to be reconfigured. Somehow he and Lobomon – from the Digital World – would open the Gate together."

Kouichi frowned. "So why did you say there are too many digimon here?"

"The Gate hasn't opened in a year," Sulamon said. "A year ago, our world became this place. We were cut off from the Digital World. To make matters worse, we had more digimon appearing than before. Duskmon was one of them. He wandered for a while, and we figured he was like any other digimon.

"At some point he started terrorizing us, and twisted the fabric of this world into what you see today."

_So my Spirit did all this…_ Kouichi thought miserably. _How much power does he have? And what other destruction could he be causing?_

Sulamon paused, seeing the disturbed look on Kouichi's face. "I think you've heard enough for one day. Let's go get you settled in."

Kouichi nodded numbly and followed Sulamon to an unoccupied suite in the left wing of the second floor. The main room was a small kitchen/living room, complete with cabinets, a sink, a couch, and a microwave (which surprised him, but he decided not to ask about it). The door to the right was a fully stocked bathroom, including a shower. To the left of the main room, Kouichi found a comfortable bedroom.

Sulamon left him there, stretched out on the bed, where he had collapsed. So all of this was his fault. Despite his exhaustion, Kouichi felt restless and paced the suite as he dwelled on what his mistake had done to this world. It seemed his past was determined to never let him move on with his life. In fact, Kouichi thought, it seemed Duskmon wanted to do just the opposite.

* * *

**-Child of Healing**

**Word count: 3120**


	7. 1 7

**This is dedicated to my sister on her birthday (yes, her birthday is 6/6/06...the end of the world and all that. blah, blah, blah.) I'm finally back on track with writing this story, so expect another udpate late next week. I have my last exam tomorrow and Thursday I'm leaving for Canada, not to return until next Wednesday, but then I'll have the majority of the summer free.**

**Anyhoo, back to Kouji and the gang, and their first day in the Digital World! I had so much fun writing this chapter, especially the end!**

**Disclaimer: My lords and ladies! I hath said before: I owneth not this "Digimon."**

**Old Demons**

**Chapter 7: Unrest in the Digital World**

* * *

The ride was as crazy as ever. The DigiDestined hung on for dear life through the roller coaster of a Trailmon ride. Finally, they lurched to a stop, doors hissing open like nothing insane had just happened. 

"You'd think they'd have made the track a little smoother," Takuya grimaced.

"Or at least taken out a few loops," Zoe added.

"Bota? Bo-bota-bo?"

A Botamon hopped over, rubbing up against Zoe's leg. She squealed and picked it up. It cooed. A swarm of Botamon and SnowBotamon descended on the five kids. Teaming up, five tackled Tommy; JP mock-wrestled several more. Takuya fought off his own assailants, pulling one out from under his hat, shaking two out of his jacket and reaching back up to his hat, laughing all the while.

Kouji brushed the Digimon off, stalking over to a nearby tree. The Digimon stared after him, but were quickly distracted. Dropping his bag, Kouji leaned against the tree trunk. Only Takuya seemed to notice, and he gently broke away from the ruckus. Kouji glared at the horizon.

"Don't tell me you chose today to turn back into a cold-hearted antisocial jerk," Takuya teased. Kouji glared at him, storming farther away. "Okay, not helping." Takuya followed the Warrior of Light. "Kouji!"

"What do you want?" Kouji snapped.

"Hey, you don't have to bite my head off! Look, I know you want to find Kouichi; we all do. But seriously, we just got here. Even if we did leave now, where would we go? I mean, we may as well enjoy ourselves while we can! I doubt we'll have much time for this kind of thing later anyway."

"I'm leaving in an hour," Kouji said abruptly. "I don't particularly care if you or anyone else is with me." He sat down, pulling out his D-Tector. Takuya quietly excused himself to where the other three were, leaving Kouji to study his digivice.

>->

In the end, it took them half an hour to get the Botamon off them and convince them to go play somewhere else.

"So where are we supposed to go?" Zoe asked.

Tommy looked around. "Where are we?"

"Near Botamon Village," Kouji said. "So unless you want to get attacked by Botamon all over, I'd suggest we don't go south. Rose Morning Star is northwest. The Forest Terminal is almost due west, and a lot closer."

"How do you know that?" Takuya asked, dumbfounded.

"The D-Tector has a map. I recognized the Forest Terminal and Rose Morning Star, and it had information on the area, including Botamon Village. It wasn't that hard."

"That wasn't on these things before," JP whined.

"Well, while we're talking about what was and wasn't on them," Kouji began, "we might want to think about defense. We don't have the Spirits."

After a silence, Takuya shrugged. "So, Forest Terminal it is."

>->

The day didn't get them very far. They stopped as it got dark, aching all over. It took several minutes for anyone to think about a fire, but eventually JP and Tommy got up to collect wood. Zoe started sorting their food while Kouji and Takuya worked on the fire.

"Ow." Takuya twirled the stick between his hands. "Ow. Ow. Ow. OW-"

"Stop complaining," Kouji told him. "It won't take as long."

"But my arms hurt. Heck, my whole body hurts!"

"You shouldn't have played with the Botamon. You probably pulled a couple muscles. Besides, you're out of shape."

"What!" With a violent twist, Takuya jerked the stick from the log. A tiny flame appeared, and Kouji leaned down to blow on it. "What do you mean out of shape? I'm on the soccer team."

Kouji smirked, still blowing on the small flame. When it was burning steadily, he shrugged, grinning evilly.

Takuya stared at him. "You're crazy, you know." Kouji rolled his eyes.

"Well," Zoe said, coming over with some food, "on the bright side, it got the fire started!"

"Whatever works," Kouji smiled.

"What works?" JP asked, coming into the clearing with Tommy. Zoe and Kouji exchanged a look. Takuya rolled his eyes. "What'd we miss?"

"Just a new method of fire-starting," Zoe replied evasively.

"Which is what," JP asked, "teamwork?"

Zoe shook her head. "Insults."

JP and Tommy glanced at each other. "We can't leave them alone for a minute!" JP cried.

They built up the fire and started eating. By this time it was fully dark. Their fire cast wild shadows across the clearing. Zoe, the first to finish eating, stretched out on her back next to the fire. She stared up at the sky as the first stars showed. Soon the first of the three moons came into sight.

"I never realized how beautiful the Digital night sky is," she whispered. The boys looked at her, confused.

"We never had time," Tommy said, looking up. The second moon was just appearing. "We were always fighting something or running from it. And at night we were too tired to care."

"Well, we're still worried, but we aren't exhausted," JP said.

"Yet." Everyone looked over at Kouji. "What? You don't seriously think we aren't gong to run into any trouble. Something's wrong. We wouldn't be here otherwise. Just wait. Before you know it, we'll be in battle."

"Well don't jinx us," Takuya teased.

"No, please do." They turned around at the voice. A sheet of a Digimon was there, soon joined by half a dozen others. Takuya's D-Tector identified them as Bakemon, viral ghost Digimon of the Champion level. "You humans are going to be so fun to deal with!"

"Yeah!" the smallest Bakemon sneered. "We're gonna deal with you!"

"Shut up!" The first Bakemon, apparently the leader, said. "Get 'em!" The seven Digimon faded into the shadows. The clearing fell silent other than the crackle of the fire. The humans tensed.

As he was the farthest from the fire, Kouji was the first to be attacked. He had shifted into a crouch when a Bakemon appeared on his left; another on his right. Kouji leaped forward, to the edge of the clearing as the two Bakemon charged. The ghosts collided, falling to the ground in a daze. Kouji grabbed a fallen branch to defend himself with. One of the Bakemon recovered enough to grab one end of the branch. Wresting it free, Kouji brought the end down on the Bakemon's head. It went down moaning. The other Bakemon suddenly tackled him from behind, slamming him into a tree.

The other four kids were in a circle around the fire. The five remaining Bakemon surrounded them. One flew at Tommy, who ducked. The Digimon sailed over him, swerving wildly in an attempt to avoid the fire. A tattered corner of its sheet-like body caught fire. Another Bakemon went to help put out the fire. The leader turned on Tommy.

"You're more trouble than you look. _Dark Claw_!" A hand snaked out from under the sheet, heading straight for Tommy. He dodged to the side, Zoe helping him farther out of harm's way.

"_Dark Claw_!" A second attack came from Zoe's other side. She quickly reversed her direction, dodging again, but her ankle gave out. Clutching her ankle, she collapsed. Tommy knelt in front of her, face lined with concern.

"Zoe! Tommy! Look out!" JP called from across the fire, where he was evading two Bakemon of his own. A slightly singed Bakemon loomed over Tommy and Zoe. Takuya glanced over, backing away from two remaining Bakemon. He grabbed a branch from the fire. Brandishing it wildly, he drove the two Digimon back, then swung it at the one threatening Tommy and Zoe. The ghost retreated hastily. Suddenly, one of the Bakemon abandoned JP to crash into Takuya's back. The burning branch flew from his grasp, extinguishing itself in the dirt.

"Whadda y'all think you're doin', picking on helpless creatures like this? Y'all outta be ashamed of yourselves! _Draining Rain_!"

"Ranamon! As if we didn't have enough to worry about," Kouji moaned. One Bakemon was pinning down his legs; the other was holding his hands behind his back with its Dark Claw. Ranamon's attack hit both Digimon, weakening them enough for Kouji to get them off. He crossed the clearing, makeshift weapon in hand, and helped JP finish off a third Bakemon. Nearby Takuya slithered out from under the Digimon that had tackled him. Tommy helped Zoe into a sitting position. She winced, ankle visibly swelling.

Ranamon stood at the edge of the clearing, hands on her hips. The three Bakemon who were still in fighting condition approached her in a tight cluster. They launched their Dark Claw attacks simultaneously. Ranamon smiled and jumped out of the hands' paths. The Bakemon blinked in confusion, following the green aquatic Digimon with their gaze.

"_Hurricane Wave_!" The sudden gust tangled the hands, sending the Bakemon backwards into the now-flaring fire, and the ghost Digimon wound up in a writhing, burning heap on the ground. "Hey, Ranamon!" Kazemon called. "Maybe you should put them out of their misery."

"Darlin', I think you're right. _Draining Rain_!" Fortunately for the Bakemon, Ranamon's attack put out the flames. Fortunately for everyone else, the ghost Digimon were left with close to no energy. All seven disappeared into the forest with the Bakemon equivalent of a limp.

"Molto Bueno!" Kazemon shrieked. Her smile faded, however, when she saw Zoe's injury. "Zoe!"

"Kazemon." Zoe smiled, but it quickly turned to a grimace. Kazemon fluttered over, Ranamon right behind.

"Kazemon! Ranamon! Where you get to now?"

"Gosh! Couldn't you at least use proper grammar? You're driving me crazy!"

"Me no think you sane to start. Besides, you no talk so good yourself sometimes." The speaker cried out as the other roared in fury. A third voice interrupted:

"Gah! You imbeciles try my patience. Smother thy petty squabbles until we hath found our lady comrades."

Ranamon sent Kazemon a wry look. "Men," she drawled. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called, "Mercurymon! Yoo-hoo! Grumblemon! Agunimon! Over here!" Mercurymon entered the clearing, followed by Agunimon and Grumblemon, who were glaring at each other. Mercurymon took in the scene in a glance.

"My ladies!" he gasped. "I beseech thee, what passed in our absence?"

"A few Bakemon decided to be difficult," Ranamon said. "But don't worry your pretty little head about it. We took care of them!"

Mercurymon scanned the group of humans. "Halt!" he cried. "Where is the sixth?"

"Sixth what?" Agunimon asked, looking up for the first time. His eyes found Takuya's. "Oh. Never mind."

"Ha! You no notice anything!"

Agunimon glared at Grumblemon. "Yeah, well you didn't notice either!"

"Me no have 'special bond' with human!"

"You'll have a special bond with my fist if you keep it up!"

"Half-wits," Mercurymon muttered.

"You know, Takuya," snickered Kouji, "I'm beginning to see why you got the Spirits of Fire."

"Oh, shut up."

"If you don't mind my asking," Zoe said, "why did the Bakemon attack? I thought we returned the Digital World to peace and harmony."

"Oh, well, you did," Ranamon assured her. "But there's always gonna be Digimon who cause trouble."

"Of course lately…" Kazemon stopped herself.

"Lately what?" JP asked.

Kazemon sighed. "The world's unbalanced. There is a growing dark- a growing evil that is causing things like this to happen more and more." The group settled into an uncomfortable silence other than Grumblemon and Agunimon, who were still arguing.

"Tell me," Mercurymon said abruptly. "Where is the sixth child, the one called Kouichi? Is he not with you?"

"Isn't that why we're here?" Kouji asked.

"What're you talkin' about, sugar?" Ranamon glanced furtively at Kazemon.

"Kouichi's missing," Tommy supplied.

"Surely you jest!" Mercurymon gasped, horrified.

"It's true," Kouji confirmed. "What aren't you telling us?"

"We should take them to Lady Ophanimon," Mercurymon said. Ranamon and Kazemon nodded.

* * *

**Girl Power! Yeah! My favorite pre-Duskmon/Kouichi episodes were the ones when the boys didn't have their D-Tectors. (Go Zoe!) My favorite line from the season (though it really has nothing to do with this chapter) is Takuya in the second episode – "Are all 'mature' girls this crazy?" lol I just loved that scene.**

**Anyway, I'm warning you now: the next chapter is the reason I rated this as T. There's not much in the way of gore, but it is fairly violent. Just so you know.**

**Review!**

**Oh, and now for my weekly-ish preview of my next story - ATTWT. Mwahaha. I have a link to a low quality pic of Taura (sorry, no last names yet :D ) by the info.**

**-Child of Healing**

**Word count: 1966**


	8. 1 8

**I almost didn't get this chapter up today. But I promised I would and I did. Writing has been a bit slow (I went on a trip to Canada, where I lived when I was born until I was 2, and I guess dealing with dozens of identical old people who remember me in diapers drained my inspiration. Hopefully I'll be back on track soon.)**

**Anyway, now things get interesting.**

**Disclaimer: Like, I don't like own Digimon. I like don't wanna get like sued or anything! (Okay, I'm running out of disclaimer personalities. Got any suggestions? Anyone?)**

**Old Demons**

**Chapter 8: Two-faced Traitor**

* * *

It started as a dream. Muffled screams coming from nearby – perhaps the other side of a wall. Then someone called out an attack. An explosion. More screams. Someone laughing. A door banged against a wall, then another. Someone called his name, shook him. 

"Kouichi!"

Kouichi sat up, knocking Gotsumon off the bed. "Kouichi, you've got to get out of here!" Gotsumon cried. "We're under attack!"

"What?" Kouichi gasped, struggling to stand up.

"Is that your favorite word or something?" Kouichi glared at the little rock Digimon. "Now you look like your brother. Come on!" They ran out of the room, heading for the stairs. "I don't get it! He's never come here before- Hey! What're you doing? Ya gotta keep moving!"

Kouichi had stopped dead at the top of the stairs. He had a sudden flashback to a year earlier- a mad dash for the stairs, flying down the steps, ankle turning awkwardly, hitting the landing. And then-

"_Deadly Gaze_."

A section of ceiling collapsed a few feet away. Kouichi's grip on the railing tightened. Gotsumon tugged on his shirt, but he didn't notice. As the dust settled, Duskmon emerged; his eyes focused on Kouichi. Gotsumon let go of Kouichi's shirt and stumbled down a few steps.

"Hey, kid!" Gotsumon yelled. "Let's go! He'll tear you to shreds!"

Kouichi didn't move. "You go. I'm staying here."

"Humans," Gotsumon muttered. "Can you really stop him?" Kouichi nodded grimly. The little Digimon took off down the stairs. Kouichi and Duskmon watched him go, then turned to each other.

"You think you can beat me?" Duskmon asked.

"No. But I can get you to leave these people alone. You came here for me – we both know it. So take me and stop hurting them. They're innocent."

"Innocence means nothing." Duskmon paused. "But you are correct in saying I came here to get you." He nodded. Kouichi reluctantly stepped forward. Duskmon picked the boy up in a strong, surprisingly warm hold. The evil Digimon blasted a hole in the wall and walked through, silently carrying his former host into the marsh behind the Gatehouse.

>->

Kouichi woke alone. It took him a moment to get his bearings, but it came back to him in a rush. Duskmon had been carrying him through the marshes when he had fallen asleep. Now as he blinked at his surroundings, he couldn't help but gasp in surprise. He was lying under a pine tree, one in a line of pines and palms. The sun was setting to his right. On that side of the tree line was a pale gray desert that looked extremely hot. Exactly at the trees, the desert became an ice field, perfectly flat and white.

The sun disappeared, though it made little difference in terms of visibility. Kouichi did notice a drop in temperature. He wasn't about to venture onto the ice, and he didn't want to stay where he was, so he set off into the desert. The sand was still hot, warming his feet through his sneakers.

The dunes made for difficult travel: in an hour his legs were aching and he had traveled less than a half-mile. When he reached the top of the next hill, he collapsed. The trees were still clearly visible behind him. Kouichi was starting to regret coming this way. He dug his fingers into the warm sand. To his surprise, it was icy just a few inches from the surface. He couldn't imagine what the ice field would feel like. _Either way, I lose,_ he thought. _I hate this place._

Kouichi turned his attention to the nearby dunes. Halfway up the nearest dune, a dark stain caught his eye. He followed the smear down the slope to a sprawled form. A familiar dark ponytail fanned out over the body's back.

Kouichi tensed. "Kouji. Kouji!" He took off, tired legs causing him to stumble. In the end, he slid down to his brother. He reached out a hand, feeling like he was having a seizure. _Oh, god. Don't let him be-_

Before Kouichi could work up the courage to touch his brother, to check for life, Kouji let out a groan. He rolled over, blue eyes meeting Kouichi's. "You're alright!" Kouichi gasped. "I was so worried! Kouji…I don't know what I would've done if you had—"

"Get away from me." Kouji stood up, clutching a wound in his side. He glared at Kouichi, slowly backing away.

"What happened?" Kouichi's eyes were wide; his whole body shook. He stood uneasily, reaching a hand out towards his brother. Not moving, Kouji eyed him suspiciously. Kouichi tried again, realizing Kouji wasn't going to answer. "Who did this to you?"

"As if you don't know!"

"But I don't!" Kouichi protested. "I want to know what happened. I have to know. Who did this? They won't get away with it."

Kouji frowned and backed farther away. "I don't understand you. What, did you think I wouldn't recognize you?" Kouji winced, clutching his side, and fell to his knees. Kouichi started forward, but a glare from his brother stopped him. "After all I've done for you," Kouji said brokenly. "I thought you'd changed. Now you're hurting people again – your own family! But this is worse than when Duskmon was controlling you. You're in control of him now."

"No, Kouji! I'm not doing anything! He's—"

"I never thought it would come to this," Kouji whispered. Kouichi felt his eyes sting with tears. Kouji looked up, tears running down his own face. Gasping, Kouji's eyes went wide with terror. Slowly, shoulders slumped, he lowered his head hopelessly. "Go ahead," Kouji said. "Just kill me already."

A sword thrust forward, piercing Kouji's stomach. Gagging at the blood, Kouichi turned away. He tried to fight down nausea and dread. When he saw Duskmon's arm withdrawing the sword, a cold rage filled his mind, driving out – temporarily – all grief.

Fractal code surrounded the arm and, presumably, the rest of Duskmon. The bluish light consumed his vision. When it cleared, he saw only his own arm, red-gray-tinted at the fingertips with Kouji's blood, surprisingly vibrant for Dusk. His eyes trailed over to Kouji.

The younger twin was breathing shallowly. Kouichi knelt down, taking his hand. Kouji looked at him with cold, cloudy eyes. Wanting to say something, Kouichi opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Suddenly, Kouji's form dissolved in a burst of static. Someone laughed. Kouichi looked up. Duskmon stood over him.

"What did you do to Kouji?" the boy screamed.

"Nothing, yet. And if you meant the thing you just saw – that was just an illusion."

"What?" Kouichi's head was reeling, both from repeated shocks and emotional exhaustion.

"An illusion," Duskmon repeated. "And I must say, you have quite the imagination. I created this illusion with every intention to take full responsibility for killing your brother, but you took that pleasure from me. One has to wonder why."

Kouichi drew his knees up and rested his forehead on them. "Just leave me alone," he pleaded. "Or, better yet, kill me now."

"Giving up on your brother so soon?" Kouichi stared at the Digimon. "Who's to say I don't have your brother? You wouldn't want to leave him all alone, would you?"

"He's better off without me. I'll just hurt him."

Duskmon's eyes glinted in the semi-darkness. He raised his hand, charging an oil-black sphere. "Then I'll just have to protect him from you." The sphere grew, beginning to glow red at the edges. "Soul Assimilation."

"Shadow Meteor!" A second energy sphere collided with Duskmon's outstretched hand. The two attacks merged, creating a miniature explosion. Kouichi and Duskmon were both thrown backwards. Recovering more rapidly than the human, Duskmon was on his feet in seconds. Kouichi looked up to see Duskmon, brandishing his sword, and Lowemon, lance in hand.

"What are you doing here?" Duskmon demanded.

"Sorry, but I found your hospitality less-than-pleasing," Lowemon said.

Growling, Duskmon charged forward. Lowemon dodged the sword, circling around the corrupt Legendary Warrior, and let loose another Shadow Meteor. The attack connected, causing Duskmon to stumble. As he regained his balance, the eyes on his armor focused on Lowemon. "Deadly Gaze." The energy beams sent Lowemon sliding back, leaving a trench. Duskmon leapt after him and Lowemon barely managed to bring his shield up in time to block the sword.

As Kouichi watched, he found himself sensing what Lowemon did. Kouichi felt every blow Duskmon landed; he sweated as if he were the one fighting. A part of him knew that it was their bond that allowed for this strange link. But when Duskmon's Deadly Gaze had hit Lowemon, Kouichi had experienced a moment of smug satisfaction. He didn't know where it had come from, and it had vanished almost instantly, but it scared him.

"Dark Coffin!" Lowemon had managed to get to his feet, lance still locked with Duskmon's sword. When he called out his attack, Lowemon dissolved into a purplish-gray mist. The mist surrounded Duskmon. Suddenly, dozens of spikes formed out of the mist, impaling him repeatedly. Duskmon collapsed, and Lowemon reformed.

"Don't think you've won," Duskmon growled. A red cloud surrounded him. It thinned to purpled, and Duskmon was gone.

* * *

**Oooo. When did my mind become this twisted? A few chapters ago,GaliStar07 ****said something about Duskmon torturing Kouichi. Well, I'd already written this chapter, so that made me laugh (manically, of course.). Not physical torture, but torture nonetheless.**

**The next chapter is the first designated explanation chapter. There's only two, and though they are somewhat tedious,they really do help. I'm almost half done with this story! I can't believe it. I'm more than half done with what I have written. Yay!**

**Okay, so the character pics from ATTWT are taking longer to do than I expected, but I'll have one for you next time. Besides, I wanted to get this chapter up.**

**Review!**

**-Child of Healing**

Word count: 1534


	9. 1 9

**Kinda a slow chapter, but I needed to explain things. It took my a while. I got stuck halfway through for over a week! **

**Note: In this fic, Rose Morning Star is Ophanimon's castle, and Seraphimon's is the Forest Terminal. Cherubimon doesn't have a specified one, but if he did, it would be something else. The way I see it, the Digital World is new each time it is rebuilt, so this time Rose Morning Star and the Forest Terminal are on opposite sides of the same continent. I know Ophanimon had her own castle, and I'm pretty sure Rose Morning Star could be considered Cherubimon's but things have changed.**

**Without further ramble, here's the chapter…**

**Disclaimer: I dOn'T oWn DiGiMoN! lEaVe Me AlOnE! (Is it just me, or does that make your eyes hurt if you stare at it too long?)**

**Old Demons **

**Chapter 9: Spirits of Darkness**

* * *

"Are you going to tell us anything?" Kouji asked. BurningGreymon shook his head. "Come on!" 

"We're almost to Rose Morning Star anyway," Zephyrmon said.

Takuya groaned. "We'd better by. My legs are falling asleep!" He and Kouji had been riding on BurningGreymon's shoulders for the last six hours – since they had left at dawn for the Rose Morning Star. BurningGreymon also held Mercurymon in his arms. Zephyrmon flew nearby, holding Zoe, with Tommy and Ranamon clinging to her legs. On the ground below, Gigasmon ran, keeping up surprisingly well. JP bounced along on his back.

"Your _legs_ are – falling as-asleep?" JP cried between Gigasmon's jolting strides. "You're fl-flying! Quit complaining! Hey – Gigasmon? Do ya think – woah! – you could run a – little smoother?"

"You want smooth?" Gigasmon grunted. "Then you run, Gigasmon ride!"

"Okay, okay. I – get it."

Zoe laughed from Zephyrmon's arms. "Poor JP." She looked up at her former Beast Spirit. "I hope you don't plan on carrying me around like this the whole time I'm here."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Zephyrmon asked in mock innocence.

Zoe smiled. "I know you're worried, but I'm fine. Really. It's just a twisted ankle! You're – " She suddenly choked on her words. Zephyrmon and the other two passengers stared at her. "…Overreacting."

"You alright?" Ranamon asked, genuinely concerned. "Ya sound like you were 'bout ready to –"

"He said we were overreacting," Zoe whispered. "He said they were just dreams. Now look what's happened!"

"He?" BurningGreymon asked, flying closer.

"Kouichi," Takuya said. He shot Kouji a wary glance. "He had been having dreams and ended up going home from school sick. The next day he was fine, so we figured he'd just had a bad day." Kouji glared at him. "Fine – _I_ figured there was nothing wrong. He disappeared that night sometime."

"About what didst he dream?" Mercurymon asked.

"The darkness," Kouji murmured. "That's all I got out of him."

The group settled into an uncomfortable silence. Later in the day, the towers of the rebuilt Rose Morning Star appeared on the horizon. Less than an hour later they landed on the steps outside. BurningGreymon, Zephyrmon, and Gigasmon set down their passengers and Slide Evolved to their Human Spirits. The group walked through the doors.

They made their way through a maze of staircases and hallways. After a long time, they reached a grand hall, entering through one of well over a dozen side corridors. At one end of the hall was the main staircase; the other side featured a pair of regally decorated double doors. Zoe smiled and waved at the Digimon guarding the doors.

"Sorcermon! I thought you worked for Seraphimon at the Forest Terminal."

"I used to," Sorcermon replied. "But Lady Ophanimon needed more protection. She didn't return to her Mega form for some years."

Footsteps echoed into the hall, but no one could tell where they came from. The humans and Digimon scanned the many entrances until…

"Kumamon!" Tommy cried.

"Tommy!" The white bear ran out of a hallway at the far end of the hall, followed by a very confused Beetlemon. Tommy and JP ran to meet them. Seconds later, Arbormon and Lobomon emerged. Kouji and Lobomon barely acknowledged each other.

"When'd you get here?" Beetlemon asked.

"Yesterday," JP said. Sorcermon quietly excused himself to alert Ophanimon to their presence.

Agunimon came over, sending Lobomon a concerned look. "Did you find anything?" Lobomon shook his head.

"What were you looking for?" Kouji demanded. No one answered. "Isn't anyone going to tell us anything? It's _my _brother who's missing!"

Lobomon looked up sharply. "Kouichi's missing? Since when?"

"Sometime Saturday night."

"And when did you get here?"

"I don't know. We got on the Trailmon…around 4:30 our time on Monday. We got here mid afternoon. Why's that important?"

Lobomon, apparently doing mental calculations, didn't answer, so Arbormon answered. "It's the time difference, y'know? An hour in your world is, like, a day here, right?"

"Six weeks," Lobomon breathed. The other Digimon stiffened. "Give or take. Six weeks today if he disappeared exactly at midnight…"

"Which wouldst be the end of the sync," Mercurymon finished.

"That can't be a coincidence," Kazemon said. "Something strange is going on here."

Kouji punched a wall in frustration, drawing thirteen stares. He clenched his jaw. "What's going on? Tell me."

Lobomon sighed. "Lowemon has been missing for six weeks today – since midnight the night Kouichi disappeared."

"We be searching for Lowemon non-stop," Grumblemon said. "A few days ago we finish last continent we no search yet. Now we start over here."

"Then we found y'all," Ranamon began. "And – oh!" The double doors opened. Sorcermon, standing just inside, beckoned them in.

The chamber was a large crystal dome with predominantly pink hues. Ophanimon sat on a throne on the far side.

"Welcome, DigiDestined. I believe there are things we need to discuss."

Kouji stepped forward. "Since you apparently didn't know about Kouichi, why'd you bring us here?"

"If I'd had my way, you would have come much sooner." Ophanimon sighed. "There is an imbalance. Nothing looks wrong, but we can all feel it. Seraphimon denied it, and told me not to contact you, but even he has to admit it now.

"Lowemon was most sensitive to it. He said an old darkness was growing, coming after Kouichi. He kept mentioning dreams –"

"You seem to know a lot about what's been going on with my brother," Kouji observed. "And yet you had no idea he was missing."

Lobomon put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Because of the sync. On your one-year anniversary of coming here, the time systems of the worlds synchronized for 24 hours. That was when Lowemon disappeared." He tensed. "And, I believe, when your brother did."

"During the sync," Ophanimon said, picking up the explanation, "all contact between the worlds was cut off. We couldn't sense your presence. But we could sense another."

"Duskmon," Lobomon growled. Kouji jumped, backing out from his former Spirit's comforting hand. Lobomon lowered his gaze.

"Wait!" Takuya cried. "I thought we got rid of Duskmon! How can he and Lowemon both be alive?"

"In the first place, you never completely 'got rid of' Duskmon," Ophanimon explained. "Kouji banished him, freed Kouichi from his power."

"How?" Kouji asked, stepping forward. "How exactly did I 'banish' him?"

"The same way you held off Duskmon this long," Lobomon muttered. He looked up and approached Kouji once more.

"What are you talking about?" Kouji faced Lobomon. The look on his face was one of pure wrath, making everyone except Lobomon and Ophanimon flinch. "All I want is some answers!"

Lobomon nodded. "Alright. Lowemon recognized Duskmon well over a year ago, our time. Duskmon wasn't coming after Lowemon; he was after Kouichi. I believe it took Duskmon this long to succeed in his plans because of you, Kouji."

"You know of your affiliation with the light," Ophanimon said. "As long as you and your brother are physically near each other – perhaps within hearing distance – you have an effect on him, and he on you. For your part, you share your light with him. That light was what freed Kouichi from Duskmon's power the last time you were here. It is also what held off Duskmon until now."

Kouji frowned. "If my light was able to hold him off before, why did it suddenly stop working?"

"The Cycle." All the humans stared at Ophanimon. She sighed. "I don't know how or why, but after you left, a Cycle began. It has just reached the beginning of the first repetition. Basically, the power of everything in the worlds wanes as time passes. At the midpoint – six months for you and twelve years for us – the power begins to grow again."

"So, wait a minute," Zoe interrupted. "Then it shouldn't have mattered. If Kouji held him off all this time, his power would have grown right alongside Duskmon's."

"In theory, that is true," Ophanimon admitted. "But in fact Digimon have a much more drastic Cycle than you do. At the midpoint, our power is only very slightly greater than yours, though at the sync the difference is much greater."

"And you figured all this out after just one time through the Cycle," JP said, sounding skeptical.

Ophanimon smiled faintly. "Let's just call it a gift I possess."

"So why did Duskmon wait so long?" Takuya asked. "You're saying he's always going to be stronger than us but…it doesn't seem like it to me."

"I do not know what goes on in the mind of one so twisted as Duskmon," the great angel said. "There may be many reasons for his delay. Opportunity, for example, or proximity. The worlds are very close together right now, so it is easier to travel between the worlds. Most of all, though, I believe he waited for the Cycle to start over. He is at this point still strong enough to hold his own in a fight, and at the same time we will be weakening. If he succeeds in what he must be planning, I fear he will be unstoppable."

"What's he planning, then?" Kouji asked.

Ophanimon bowed her head. "I hope I'm wrong, for all of our sakes as well as Kouichi's…Duskmon is much more powerful when he is merged with a human, especially Kouichi. There are three beings of darkness: Duskmon, Lowemon and Kouichi. Duskmon is unconditionally evil, and Lowemon is his exact opposite. On their own, both are powerful, but neither can reach their full potential without Kouichi, the soul of darkness. Both Spirits of Darkness will exist and be at odds until Kouichi chooses his destiny."

"He has chosen!" Kouji yelled. Takuya grabbed his shoulder to keep him from attacking Ophanimon. "He's on our side!"

Seemingly unaware of Kouji's mood, the Mega angel said, "For now. But he has not actually decided. If he had, Duskmon wouldn't be here. When he was Duskmon, Kouichi was being controlled, but when you defeated and scanned Duskmon, you merely freed Kouichi to make his choice."

"Are you saying my brother is evil?"

"Of course not, but he does have a corrupt side. It is the effect of his time under Duskmon's power. A time is coming when the two forms of Darkness will clash. Only one can last. Kouichi alone can decide the outcome."

* * *

**Ooo the fate of the worlds in Kouichi's hands… In the next chapter, Kouichi hears about his corrupt side. How do you think he'll take it?**

**For any of you who may be wondering about how and when the angels digivolved, here's the Readers' Digest version (Hmmm maybe I need another disclaimer here saying I don't own Readers' Digest...): when the DigiDestined restored the Digital World and left, the rookie angels were given enough power to digivolve into Champion and come close to their Ultimate form. Angemon digivolved first, about seven or eight months later, and a few months later the other two did as well. It took the majority of the 24 years for them all to digivolve to Mega, but Seraphimon reappeared about three or four Digi years ago, Cherubimon did two or three years ago, and Ophanimon did two or two and a half ago.**

**Since I havenothing else to say, I'll move right along to ATTWT. I did in fact get the next picture done. His name is Naoko. (I think he may be my favorite new character…Yep. He is.)**

**Review!**

**-Child of Healing**

Word count: 1718 (My chapters are getting kinda short, there, aren't they? Well, I think the next one's longer. Anyway, I like the next chapter. Mwahaha!)


	10. 1 10

**Back again, are we? SOOOO sorry this took so long to get out, but my family's moving, so I've beenbusy packing and waiting for someone or other to call so I can get online (stupid dailup!) Anyway, the next chapter won't come for at least another three weeks. I'll be out of the country for two weeks (leaving Monday) and when I get back I have to unpack in the new house. Sorry! On the bright side...I have massive inspiration for two more Frontier stories (not counting ATTWT) and 2 Adventure quartets (8 stories!) plus vague ideas for two more much later down the road.. Yay!**

**Disclaimer: Hmmm… Just look at the word: Dis. Claim. Er. It's the thing that does the opposite of claim Digimon as my own. That's all there is to it.**

**Old Demons**

**Chapter 10: Souls of Darkness

* * *

**

Lowemon, tired and sore after his battle with Duskmon, approached Kouichi. The boy was sitting hunched over, head in his hands. Lowemon placed a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up.

"Why?" Kouichi cleared his throat and began again. "Why is this happening? I thought Duskmon was dead. How can both of you be alive?"

"Duskmon was never really dead," Lowemon said gently. "I don't know that I can answer 'why'… Both forms of the Warrior of Darkness should not exist together, but they will as long as both forms of darkness exist in you."

"What are you saying?"

"I know you side with your brother and the DigiDestined, but a part of you sides with Duskmon. It was created when Duskmon was born, and it has slept within you since he was banished. Duskmon hopes to wake this side of you and to make it stronger than you. If your other side wins, Duskmon will destroy you, and me in the process."

"You?" Kouichi shook his head. "I don't understand."

"The spirits of the Legendary Warriors are connected to their humans. If the human dies, so does the spirit. This is true for all the Warriors, even Duskmon."

"But they don't all have humans. Ranamon, Grumblemon, Arbormon, Mercurymon… How are they alive then?"

Lowemon's eyes glinted with some secret amusement. "They do have humans; make no mistake. Those four simply have yet to be called upon."

"So now you can see the future?" Kouichi asked sarcastically. Lowemon made no reply. "Who? Who are the other four?"

"That is not for you to know. Not yet, anyway. But when the time comes, the ten human Warriors will meet."

Kouichi hesitated, taking it all in. "How do you know all this? About Duskmon, I mean."

"Duskmon and I are technically the same spirit. I know what he's planning and doing, and he know the same for me. He'll catch up with us eventually. I know he will. All we can do at this point is prepare for the confrontation."

"Like we can prepare for something like this," Kouichi scoffed. "I'll be lucky if I even survive in this stupid place."

Lowemon laughed. "You're just in one of the less hospitable sectors. But then, Agunimon shaped it; what do you expect?"

Kouichi smiled faintly. "Sounds just like Takuya," he muttered. "So what are the other sectors? I think Sulamon mentioned them."

"Well, there are three central sectors – Water, where the Gatehouse is, Wood, and Thunder, in the grasslands. These three are surrounded by four more. We're in the northwest, Fire; northeast is Ice; Earth – the canyons – is the southwest; and Wind is the southeast. The Steel mountains border this land from the unshaped area beyond.

"The Fire, Ice, and Steel sectors are mostly inhospitable. Earth is good for hiding, but hiding at this point is basically pointless, and the canyons make for hard traveling. Our best bet is to travel over the Icefield while Duskmon is recovering so we can make our stand in the Wind sector. Water is more hospitable, but it puts too many people in danger."

"So…" Kouichi stood up, groaning. "East it is."

"The good new is you won't have to worry much about transportation." Fractal code surrounded Lowemon. "Lowemon: Slide Evolution…JagerLowemon."

Kouichi climbed onto the Beast Spirit's back, and they took off back past the line of pines and palms. The ground leveled out to the unbroken tundra Kouichi had glimpsed earlier. In a matter of minutes, the boy was freezing. He pulled the sleeves of his long-sleeved shirt down over his hands and leaned in closer to JagerLowemon's back. The feline Spirit, realizing how cold his counterpart was, started talking:

"Duskmon will no doubt try everything in his power to bring out your worse side. There are very few things in this world right now that you can trust. Almost anything could be one of Duskmon's illusions."

"Like Kouji," Kouichi whispered.

JagerLowemon nodded grimly. "Duskmon knows you have a weak spot for your brother. He will try to use that to break your spirit and awaken your other side. Whatever happens, you can't let his illusions upset you."

"But what if it's not an illusion?"

"Illusions are purely in your mind," JagerLowemon explained. "They don't physically exist. So as soon as you touch one or something passes through it, it will disappear."

Kouichi seemed satisfied with that answer, but something else crossed his mind. "JagerLowemon, back there, Duskmon was about to kill me…Why? I thought he needed me alive."

"He does." The Warrior paused. "Duskmon wouldn't dare kill you yet. At this point, both he and I would die along with you. The name ofthat attack was Soul Assimilation. I believe he was trying to absorb your soul. With you merged with him, it would be easier for him to control you and eventually destroy you. With your good side out of the way, your corrupt side would take control of your body, he and Duskmon would combine, and together they would be unstoppable…With that plan ruined for now, he needs a strong display of negative emotion from you to give him any hold over you. Anger would be best, but many other things would work. Envy, for instance; greed, fear… Guilt."

Kouichi smiled sadly. "Is there really any hope, then? I already feel guilty for the things I've done."

"You can't give up hope," JagerLowemon growled. "It may be all we have in our favor."

With JagerLowemon's speed, it didn't take them long to cross the Ice sector. The sun was coming up as the horizon to the south changed. As they approached, they could make out hills. The temperature rose significantly once the crossed the border, a line of pine trees half stripped by the wind. They stopped well beyond the border. As JagerLowemon Slide Evolved into Lowemon, Kouichi hopped off and looked around.

"Duskmon is coming," Lowemon said.

"He heals fast," the human observed. "So what now?"

"We wait. We conserve our energy. We can't run away from him anymore, but we can be ready." Kouichi nodded.

A purple cloud, seemingly impervious to the wind, appeared minutes later. It solidified, turning red, and became Duskmon. The two Warriors stood facing each other, neither one making a move. Lowemon could sense Duskmon's thoughts. They were currently consumed by a hunger for power and a cold determination to get to Kouichi. Lowemon quelled his own fear. He didn't like his fate resting in the hands of a thirteen-year-old human, but he trusted Kouichi. The boy had a pure heart. If anyone could stand up to Duskmon, it was him.

>->

From his position on the crest of a hill just behind Lowemon, Kouichi watched the two Digimon face off. For another few seconds, all was silent. Kouichi shivered in the warm wind. Then the Warriors of Darkness drew their weapons in tandem.

Duskmon began, drawing a circle in the air with his sword. "Lunar Plasma." The red energy sphere flew at Lowemon, who raised his shield to block the attack. Simultaneously, Kouichi threw his hands up to shield his eyes from the light of the ensuing explosion.

"Shadow Lance!" Lowemon charged from the cloud of debris. His lance, glowing with purple energy, was aimed at Duskmon's chest. When the weapon hit, the sheer momentum behind the attack sent the corrupt Warrior sliding back.

"This is getting us nowhere," Duskmon said, getting up. "Let's end this now. Duskmon: Slide Evolution…Velgemon." The monstrous bird-like creature rose into the sky and flew large, slow circles. Lowemon silently Slide Evolved to his own Beast form. The cat and the bird started at each other, calculating their next moves. Velgemon dove down at JagerLowemon, who leaped up to meet him. They collided, and Velgemon drove JagerLowemon to the ground.

JagerLowemon, struggling to his feet, charged his energy for an attack. "Dark Master!" He released the energy at Velgemon. It formed into a set of jaws and closed around the evil Digimon before he could fly away.

When the attack ended, Velgemon glared at JagerLowemon, hate-filled eyes burning red. He spread his wings and took to the air, circling like a vulture. With each pass, his circle got larger and higher. Finally he stopped, glanced back at the other Warrior, and entered a steep dive. His wingtip touched down, and he began to draw an enormous circle in the ground.

JagerLowemon glanced once at Velgemon, who had already completed one quarter of the circle, then turned to Kouichi. The boy climbed onto the Digimon's back as he approached. They turned and ran for the edge of the circle. Velgemon was nearly three-quarters of the way around.

Kouichi knew there was no way they could make it out of the circle in time. JagerLowemon, apparently reaching the same conclusion, Slide Evolved into Lowemon.

"What are you doing?" Kouichi screamed as Lowemon picked him up. The Digimon didn't answer, but continued running. As Velgemon completed the circle and called out the name of the attack – Dark Obliteration – Lowemon threw Kouichi as hard as he could.

Landing just outside the closing sphere, Kouichi scrambled to his feet to look back at Lowemon. He caught one glimpse of the Legendary Warrior before the orb closed. It disappeared, taking Lowemon and a chunk of land with it.

"Lowemon!" Kouichi cried. _This is all my fault_, he thought desperately. _Lowemon is gone and it's all because Duskmon is after me._ Velgemon landed quietly nearby. Kouichi turned on him in a blind rage. "You! You did this!"

Velgemon Slide Evolved. "And to think, part of you is just like me."

"I'm nothing like you!" Kouichi spat.

_Yes, I am._

Kouichi gagged. It had been his voice, his thoughts, but he had not thought it. He began shaking as he remembered Lowemon's words from earlier: _He needs a strong display of negative emotions…anger would be best…_

A sharp pain exploded behind the boy's eyes. He fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands. Darkness gathered around him, seemingly from nowhere. It was thick and black, even for Dusk. The darkness faded a few minutes later, revealing Kouichi, face down on the ground. He was unconscious.

Duskmon approached. He stared at the boy for a moment, as if testing something in the air around him. Finally, he smiled wickedly. "It has begun," he said aloud, to no one in particular. "The darkling has awakened."

* * *

**Mwahaha! And to think, we'll be with Kouji and the gang for the next two and a half chapters. I'm so evil! **

**ATTWT: I have the pic done! His name is Jomei. He's…I don't know. I like him in some ways, but…he's kind of a jerk. Go see it at under the username childofhealing ! (It might not be up today... I'm having a little trouble... it should be up soon!)**

**Review, please!**

**-Child of Healing**

Word count: 1738 (Okaaaay…Well, it is longer. A little. I don't know why I can't write longer chapters! Must be the dialogue…hmmm. Oh, well!)


	11. 1 11

**Wow. Okay…so much for three weeks…SORRY! Moving in took longer than I expected, and then school started! But something I've noticed…I write more during the school year! Who knows why… But I'm back on track now!**

**I've also gotten behind on replying to reviews, so I've forgotten who I replied to. Sorry if you didn't get a reply!**

**Sorry.**

**Moving on to more important and/or relevant things, I actually DID get Jomei's picture up. About a week ago, I suddenly hit a writing spree, and I wrote two whole chapters in less than a week! And that's with having to deal with school and homework from TWO AP classes! (Don't ask me why I'm taking two; I'm crazy.) So this chapter is longer than my others (that's another thing: I can suddenly write _more_.) Sorry if you're not too fond of drama. This chapter got a little heavy on it (in my opinion; you may not think so) for some reason, but the action starts to pick up a little next time. Then another chapter…Then the chapter that launches into the final battle! That's right! There will be 17 chapters total. That's it.**

**On the bright side, I have several stories planned, both for Frontier and for Adventure. The next one I'm going to write is a Frontier story, and cringe that may take a while to get started. I have the first two chapters written, and I like the first, but the second (and on, most likely) are giving me problems. I don't want to give up on it, though, because the second half-ish I think has real potential (that and it sets up the other stories). And, of course, I'll be working on ATTWT, but I figure those updates will take a while, so I'll have to have something else to satisfy the mob. heh**

**Wow. That was a lot of stuff….**

**Disclaimer: Say, say, say, say you don't own Digimon! (Don't own the thing I stole that from, either! Anyone know what it is?)**

**Old Demons**

**Chapter 11: The Price You Pay

* * *

**

The previous evening, Ophanimon had dismissed the Legendary Warriors (human and digimon alike), saying that she had other business to attend to. The Spirits apparently had rooms already, which made Zoe wonder how often they stayed here. The humans were led through the castle to their own chambers. They then met up and basically wandered around the castle. After several hours of relative boredom, they had split off and gone to sleep. Of course, the Digital World hadn't exactly heard of pajamas, so the kids had to sleep in their clothes.

Early in the morning, Ophanimon called a meeting. Sorcerermon had roused the Spirits and told them to get their human. Half an hour later, they were all gathered in the hall outside Ophanimon's chamber…except for Lobomon and Kouji. Lobomon had apparently been out for an early walk. (Although with as early as it was, that didn't seem possible.) Agunimon volunteered to go find Lobomon and Takuya volunteered to wake Kouji up.

"Um, Takuya?" Zoe asked sweetly. "Do you really think that's such a good idea?"

Takuya frowned at her. "What are you talking about? Of _course _it's a good idea. What, do _you _want to go in there? What if he sleeps in his underwear? Although, you'd probably like that, wouldn't you?"

"Takuya!" She yelled, slapping him upside the head. "Ew! Mind out of the gutter, Takuya!"

"Whatever." Takuya rubbed the back of his head. "I'll be back!" That said, he took off through a random archway.

Zoe rolled her eyes. "This won't be pretty."

Kazemon smiled at her. "Come on. What's the worst that could happen?"

-

"Kouji. Kouji! Wake up!" A pillow connected with Kouji's head. Though he was still half asleep, Kouji yanked the pillow away and threw it across the room. "…I guess you're awake, then."

"What do you want, Takuya?" Kouji glanced at the room's one window. "It's still dark outside."

"Huh. Funny, I always thought you were the early bird."

Kouji glared at Takuya. "Give me one good reason to get up or I'm going back to sleep."

"Ophanimon said she needed to see us."

"I said a _good_ reason," Kouji growled, but sat up anyway.

"What's your problem?"

"I wonder. My brother's missing and apparently part evil. And despite the fact that Ophanimon knows more than we do, she still didn't know Kouichi was missing, let alone how to find him."

"Well…Just hurry up and get dressed."

"I _am _dressed."

"Great!" Takuya grinned. "Let's go." He grabbed Kouji's wrist and dragged him out of the room. When they emerged into the central hall, Kouji pulled out of Takuya's grip.

"Would you just leave me alone?" he shouted.

Zoe leaned towards Kazemon. "I told you."

The door opened. Sorcerermon looked out. "Good. You're all here. Come in!" They entered Ophanimon's chamber. The great angel wasted no time with greetings.

"I have located Duskmon and, I believe, Lowemon and Kouichi as well."

"Where?" Lobomon and Kouji demanded in unison.

"A world called Twilight."

Lobomon scowled. "That's impossible. The Gate's been closed for the last twenty-four years. Lowemon couldn't get in!"

"Nevertheless, Seraphimon and I both sense Duskmon there."

"Seraphimon, huh?" Kouji folded his arms. "And how did he know to check?"

"I asked him to last night after you departed," Ophanimon said, with just a hint of frustration.

Takuya snorted. "So, what, he just _happened_ to be flying through?"

"No. I contacted him – "

"How?" Kouji demanded.

"She probably doesn't have an answer for us," Takuya muttered. "She can't hide that fact she's been going behind our backs, either!"

"I have not gone behind you backs!" Ophanimon seethed. "Nor have I done anything that constitutes this attitude from you two humans! This is my world, not yours, and as such, it is my responsibility to – "

"You 'responsibility'?" Kouji shook his head. "So you're just doing this because you have to."

"I never said – "

"No! I don't care who you are or how powerful you claim to be. It's _my_ brother's life on the line! I'm going to help him. I don't really give a crap what you have to say, so unless you can tell me how to get to whatever world Kouichi's stuck in, I'm leaving!"

Everyone stared at Kouji in shock. His face was slightly red, his hands were clenched at his sides, and he was glaring daggers at Ophanimon. Even the angel digimon seemed slightly fazed by the outburst. She stared at the younger twin for another moment and finally sighed.

"I do know how to get you to Twilight, but there are some things I should explain first." Kouji rolled his eyes but didn't move for the door. "First of all, let me start by saying that Twilight is connected to both the Digital World and the human world. It was created to collect the lost data from the war between human- and beast-types. It looks much like the human world, but it has the properties of the Digital World – everything is primarily made of data. As such, it is easier to get to this world from the Digital World, although it is obviously possible to come from the Real World. As far as I know, someone of power in Twilight or the unshaped space beyond it would have to summon you from the Real World."

"So we can't get in?" Tommy asked.

"Not from the Real World," Ophanimon admitted. "That must be why you were brought here. There is one way through."

"Lady Ophanimon," Mercurymon began, "you speak of the Gate, do you not?"

The Mega nodded slightly. "I do."

"But how, pray tell, is this relevant? Has not the Gate been closed, as Lobomon pointed out? Were you not the one who said it could not be opened by our power or by yours?"

"I did say that. But now Lowemon is on the other side. The Gate is controlled by the power of the Spirits. I do not know how it was sealed, but with that controlling power on either side, the seal is already weakening. It will take significant energy, but you should be able to slip through."

"Hold the boat!" Beetlemon interrupted. "'Significant energy'? What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Ophanimon bowed her head and searched for the words, but Lobomon spoke first. "She means we'll have to sacrifice our physical form; revert to pure spirits like when the humans came before."

Zoe gaped at him, then turned to Ophanimon. "Is that true?" The angel would not answer. "It is, isn't it! How can you ask something like that? And not even tell them beforehand! Who do you think you – "

"It is the only way." Ophanimon's voice was subdued, but it cut Zoe's rant short. Zoe blushed guiltily and stared at the floor. _Of course it's the only way. It's not like Ophanimon had a choice._ Judging by the way Ophanimon cringed as she forced herself to meet each digimon's eyes, she felt guilty about asking them to give up their physical form. And Zoe hadn't helped that guilt.

Kazemon blinked at Ophanimon. "How long?"

Ophanimon sighed. "I don't know. It may be a few days…It may not be until the balance is reset."

Arbormon scratched his head. "And…alluh us hafta do it?"

"No. The five who have human counterparts will be going. You four who are staying should not need to use quite so much energy. You will still retain your body."

"Oh?" Ranamon frowned. "Why can't we help? Lowemon's our friend, too! You can't expect us to just sit back 'n' do nothin'!"

"You aren't going for two reasons," Ophainmon said with slightly more force than necessary. "One, if you went through, there would be nothing to stop you from reverting to spirits alongside the others. Without humans, you would be useless." Ranamon flinched at the frank comment. Ophanimon saw this and lowered her voice. "I don't know that the seal will be broken when they go through. You four are staying here as a safeguard. If the seal remains, all of you will have to work together to force it open once more. You will need power on both sides of the Gate for it to work." The Mega scanned the tense faces of the humans and the troubled faces of the digimon. "You must willingly choose to do this. No one can force you to give all your energy. It will not work if you are unwilling. Consider it carefully, and choose for yourself."

Lobomon paused for only a moment, glancing at Kouji before stepping foreward. "I will do whatever is necessary to help Lowemon."

Seconds later, Agunimon placed a hand on his shoulder. "Count me in!" The Human Spirit of Fire flashed Takuya an impish grin. "We're a team, right?" Takuya nodded grimly.

Kazemon moved forward from behind Zoe, placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder as she passed. Zoe smiled weakly. Kazemon silently took her place by Lobomon, wings twitching once, not trusting herself to speak.

Beetlemon and Kumamon joined the other three simultaneously. Beetlemon punched the air enthusiastically. "Duskmon doesn't stand a chance!" Kumamon merely nodded with a soft grunt.

The other four digimon stayed where they were and simply nodded an agreement.

"Very well," Ophanimon said, rising from her throne. "Follow me." The digidestined and Spirits followed her out of the chamber into the door-lined hall, through the first arch on the right, and into a octagonal chamber only slightly smaller than the throne room. Everything in it was black – the walls, floor, and domed ceiling were made of ivory, and ten twenty-foot black trees stood in a half-circle around the image of a gate on the far wall. A single square window near the ceiling above the chamber's entrance provided the room's only light, a beam that illuminated the Gate and trees, making them look almost silver.

The digidestined stared at the awesome sight, completely at a loss for what to do. The digimon, having done something similar many times before, walked past the trees to the open space in front of the Gate. The humans followed hesitantly, noticing two concentric half-circles on the floor. A foot away from the outer circle, the symbols of the Spirits were etched in the floor, evenly spaced. On the left side of the Gate, the first symbol was that of Earth, then Water, Thunder, Fire, and Light. By the wall on the right side of the Gate was Wood, followed by Steel, Ice, Wind, and Darkness. Darkness and Light were side by side between the Gate and the chamber's entranceway. The symbol of Darkness was glowing, pulsing violet. A similar red light glowed, overlapping the purple one, though there was only one symbol etched on the floor.

Takuya was the first to notice the phenomena. "Huh? ...Why are there two symbols here?"

Kouji came over and looked at the symbols. "There were always two symbols. Don't you remember the sign over the Trailmon tracks to the Dark Continent? … But why are they the only ones glowing? And why do they overlap?

"There are two symbols," Ophanimon said, "because there are two distinct spirits. They overlap because they are fighting each other."

Tommy joined the two older boys around the symbols. "And the glowing?"

"Because Lowemon is on the other side of the Gate. In Twilight, at the other Gate, the other nine symbols are glowing."

JP glanced at the symbol, but soon turned to Beetlemon. "So how exactly does this whole Gate-opening-thing go?"

Ophanimon heard him and answered. "Just stand in front of your Spirit. They know what to do."

Beetlemon nudged JP. "Looks like you're gonna be doing the fighting for me again…Don't die."

JP chuckled nervously. "Yeah. No pressure!"

"Of course not." Beetlemon smiled at him (not that JP could see his mouth; all he saw was the Warrior's sad eyes). Beetlemon turned and led JP into the innermost circle, lined up with the symbol of Thunder. JP stood in front of him. Outside the circles, the symbol glowed yellow.

Kumamon tapped Tommy's shoulder. Tommy glanced at him, uncertainty written on his young face. Kumamon smiled gently. "Don't worry, Tommy. I know you guys can do it." They took their places in the circle. The symbol of Ice glowed pale green.

Agunimon turned to Takuya. He didn't say anything. The determination Agunimon practially exuded didn't pass Takuya by. The gogglehead grinned and nodded. They took their place next to JP and Beetlemon; their symbol glowed orange.

Kazemon crossed her arms over her chest and stared forlornly at the Gate. "Kazemon?" Zoe looked nervously at her Spirit. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Zoe." Kazemon forced a smile. "I'm worried, that's all. I can't help wishing there was another way. I want to do something important."

"You are!" Zoe said firmly. "You're my power. I was completely helpless before I Spirit Evolved, and when the spirit was stolen…The point is, we need each other. You can't go after Lowemon and I can't fight. But together we actually stand a chance!"

Kazemon laughed. "You're right. Thanks, Zoe." They took their places next to Tommy and Kumamon, and the symbol of Wind glowed a pale lavender.

Lobomon stepped forward, but Kouji stopped him with a hand on his arm. The digimon turned around obligingly. "Look, I know you must want to help Lowemon – "

"No more than you want to help your brother. There is no one I trust more than you to help them."

"Thanks – I … Thanks."

They took their places between the human and digimon Warriors of Fire and of Wind. The symbol of Light glowed pure white. The other four Warriors took their places, outside the outer circle. Arbormon stood between Kumamon and Kazemon; Mercurymon stood next to him, between Kazemon and Lowemon. Then Grumblemon, between Lobomon and Agunimon, and Ranamon between Agunimon and Beetlemon. The symbols of Water, Earth, Steel, and Wood glowed blue, bronze, silver, and dark green, respectively.

"One more thing," Ophanimon said as the light from the symbols spread along the ground and up the Gate. "You know that the time in the Digital World is off from the time in the Real World. The same is true of Twilight. The time there matches Real World time, but it is offset by twelve hours."

The Warriors nodded gravely. They began focusing their energy to open the Gate. For the four staying in the Digital World, various features began glowing, the light particles streaming to a spot seven feet off the ground directly in front of the Gate. And orb of white light began forming there. Grumblemon's hammer glowed a pale yellow-brown color. The cannon-like features on Arbormon's shoulders glowed green. Mercurymon's mirrors glowed a silver that was very nearly white. And Ranamon's gems – on her helmet and knees – glowed red.

For the other five, the process was slightly different. The digimon glowed white, so that none of their bodies could be seen. Most of the light streamed to the orb, but some, led by two small objects, went to the digidestined. The objects entered their D-Tectors, and the light swirled around them. Kouji's light formed Lobomon's helmet, shoulder armor, and scarf on the human's body. Takuya's was similar – Agunimon's helmet (horns included), shoulder armor, and thigh armor. JP received only Beetlemon's helmet, without the mask, and breastplate. Tommy had all of Kumamon's minimal armor. And Zoe wore Kazemon's winged boots and gloves, and her visor. And, of course, it was all pure light.

The orb suddenly reformed as a wedge as tall as the Gate. Tendrils of light lashed out and connected to the light-armor. The kids were converted into light and merged with the wedge, which proceeded to phase through the Gate.

-

All Kouji saw was white. He sat up and looked around, finding himself in a room much like the one he had just come from. It had similar features – trees (around him), Gate (behind him), and symbols (below him). But it was all white. His D-Tector lay by his right thigh, the symbol of Light pulsing softly on the screen. When he picked it up, the symbol flashed once and disappeared.

One by one, the others woke up, and grabbed their D-Tectors.

Zoe was the first to speak: "Well, we're here."

"Twilight," Takuya whispered.

Kouji nodded. "Let's get going."

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**Wow! The longest chapter yet! My next longest one (Chapter 3: In the Night) was only a little over five pages in Word. This one is like EIGHT! Yay! lol Okay, sorry. I just had to celebrate.**

**Somewhere along the way, two chapters merged (the total count used to be 18, but by the end of this chapter it dropped to 17). Good news for you! Kouichi comes back in the next chapter! Mwahaha! Now you have to wait! But, hey, I already have it written…And half of chapter 13. And I have the rest of the story planned. So this should go smoothly for the rest of the story. I'll have the next chapter up sometime next week. (And this time I will, too!)**

**ATTWT: Well, I don't have the pic done. I do all of them on my computer, which is unpacked but unfortunately not running yet. (Stupid procrastination). But his name is Kado, and he's younger than Jomei, Naoko, and Taura. I kind like him, in his own way…But…I really have nothing else to say.**

**Review, please! Criticism is welcome. (Go ahead and yell at me for taking so long to update, if you want!)**

**-Child of Healing**

Word count: 2724 (YAY! Chapter 3 was only 2045!)


	12. 1 12

**Nothing to say! I'm still on a writing spree! I think this is the longest one I've ever had. Good for you. Bad for my family; they hardly see me anymore (other than when I'm writing, but then I apparently miss entire conversations!) On to the story!**

**Disclaimer: THIS IS A UNIVERSAL DISCLAIMER. THE PARTY INVOKING THIS DISCLAIMER IS HEREBY EXEMPT FROM ANY ATTEMPT TO SUE ON THE GROUNDS OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. THIS DISCLAIMER IS WRITTEN AND DISTRIBUTED BY NAUTMYN, INC. AND IS SAID PARTY'S PROPERTY. ANY ATTEMPT TO USE FOR COMERCIAL PURPOSES WILL BE MET WITH A LAWSUIT. TO RECIEVE YOUR OWN COMPLIMENTARY UNIVERSAL DISCLAIMER, CALL 1-888-NAUT-MYN. SHIPING AND HANDLING FEES OF 56 DOLLARS AND THREE CENTS APPLY.**

**Old Demons**

**Chapter 12: Darkness Falling

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The room was large, more than twice the size of the one in the Digital World. It had, at first, seemed almost identical to the other (other than the obvious difference in color scheme), but there were many differences. Instead of stone, everything was metal, covered in vines. The single beam of light in the Digital World had barely made a dent in the room's darkness; here the deep shadows gave the room the overall feeling of an optical illusion. Even the trees were different: the ones in the Digital World were by no means lush, but the branches had been covered by leaves. Here the trees looked dead, or like trees in winter after they'd dropped their leaves. And, of course, there were vines, drooping from the barren branches.

Right now, the five kids were walking around the room's perimeter, trying to find a way out. They had all, for some reason, turned gray. The only color to be seen at the moment was in their eyes.

"Are we gonna be stuck in here forever? That's just not fair!"

"Get a grip, JP. Ugh. You're such a boy! There's gotta be an exit somewhere. We'll find it a lot faster if you quit complaining."

"Will you two stop arguing already?" Kouji turned to glare at JP and Zoe. The three of them were scouring the left side of the chamber, while Tommy and Takuya had taken the right side. Kouji had been testing some vines a few feet ahead of the other two, trying to see if the vines would hold his weight.

JP rolled his eyes. "Sheesh. Grumpy much?"

Zoe elbowed JP hard in the ribs. "If you know what's good for you," she whispered, "you'll shut up now."

"Hey, guys!" Tommy called. "We found something!" Kouji, Zoe, and JP took off across the room. Tommy and Takuya were standing by a rectangular patch of wall that didn't have vines covering it.

"Um, okay," Zoe said when she got there. "I'm assuming it's a door, but how does it open?"

"The button." Takuya grinned and pushed said button, which was partially covered by the vines to the right of the door. Nothing happened. "Um…" Takuya sweatdropped. "Maybe I didn't push it hard enough?" He pushed the button again. Nothing. Another push. More nothing. "Come one, you stupid door!" Takuya gave up on the button and pounded on the door instead. "Open UP!"

At that moment, the door did indeed slide open. Unfortunately for the gogglehead, he'd been about to pound the door with both fists. His fists met no resistance and his momentum sent him crashing into the…elevator. Takuya picked himself up off the floor. "Aw, man! Why does it always have to be an elevator?"

Kouji raised an eyebrow at his best friend. "You really don't have good luck with elevators, do you?"

"Only since I met you."

"Oo-kay! Let's go," Zoe interrupted, pushing past the boys. The others followed her into the elevator. It looked almost like your average elevator – handrails on the side and back walls; display above the door showing what floor they were on (one, at the moment); and buttons on a panel by the door. Of course, there were only two: "OPEN DOOR" and "CLOSE DOOR".

Before anyone could ask what they were supposed to do, the door closed and the elevator began rising. A bell chimed, and the 1 above the door blinked out. Another chime sounded a few seconds later, and another, and another…On the last chime, the number 12 appeared above the door and the movement slowed. The doors opened onto a deserted gray hallway with no doors.

They stepped out cautiously and made their way down the hall. It opened out onto a balcony that surrounded a square courtyard on three sides. The side they were on had only the hallway and elevator they had emerged from. The side on the kids' left – the right wing – ended in a second elevator. The other side – the left wing – ended at a flight of stairs. The bottom floor seemed to be covered by gray plants. And the 10 floors in between had balconies; both humans and digimon were leaning on the railing.

"That's weird," Tommy noted.

"The forest, the fact that there are humans and digimon both here, or the complete lack of any color but gray in this entire place?" JP asked, glancing down at the younger boy.

"Neither…I mean, all that's weird, too, but that's not what I'm talking about. This floor is completely pointless! The only things here are the two elevators and a set of stairs!"

"That _is _weird," Zoe said. Something wet dripped on her head. Looking up, she saw what used to be a domed ceiling. It had a large hole, which was undergoing repairs, and through it she could see gray clouds gathering in a white sky. "Woah."

"What is it now?" Kouji grumbled.

"Look up."

They did, and every on of them gaped at the sight. A huge bolt of violet lightning flashed across the sky. Two more followed within five seconds.

Takuya forced a laugh. "I vote we take the stairs." Rain started falling, not quite a downpour yet, but getting there. "Correction: I vote we take the stairs NOW!" There was no argument from the others, and they ran to the stairs.

The stairs descended for one floor, and after that the Legendary Warriors had to walk to the end of the left wing hallway. They continued down nine more flights, seeing occasional cracks in the walls and even one or two splintered doors. On the third floor, there was a hole in the floor, but they saw the real damage one level lower.

There was a large pile of rubble to the left of the stairwell (from the hole overhead), and the wall to the right was completely demolished. There were a few trees outside and the rain blew in.

Zoe drew back hesitantly. "What happened here?"

Kouji frowned. "I don't know. But I intend to find out." He turned abruptly and started down the last flight of stairs. The others glanced at each other, surveyed the rubble one more time, and followed.

The ground floor was a swirl of activity. On the other floors, the kids hadn't seen anyone. They had heard a few voices through the walls, sometimes even heard doors closing or footsteps. But they hadn't _seen_ a soul. Here, there were people and digimon everywhere, standing or sitting in small groups, slipping though the crowd obviously in a hurry to get somewhere else. Some were running through the plants. Within 20 feet of the stairs, the digidestined could see infant humans and Baby digimon all the way up to middle-aged women and Champions. Everything was colored gray…except the eyes. The eyes of every being were their normal color, slightly muted, but still vibrant compared to everything else.

"If it isn't the other Legendary Warriors! Imagine that."

They turned to the owner of the voice. Zoe's spirits immediately lifted. "Gotsumon! I don't believe it!"

The rock digimon smiled. "Tell me about it. Hmm…Sulamon's gonna want to see you."

"Who's that?" Tommy asked.

"C'mon." Gotsumon said, walking down the hall. "I'll introduce you to him."

"_Wait._" The threat behind that one word caused Gotsumon to stop midstep.

Takuya, who had already started after Gotsumon, stared at Kouji. "What is it? This Sulamon guy might be able to help us!"

"And what if he can't?" Kouji's eyes never left Gotsumon's face. "We've wasted enough time in the last three days. Kouichi's out there somewhere. We don't even know if Lowemon's with him. But Duskmon is out there, looking for Kouichi. If he hasn't already found him." He leaned down towards Gotsumon. "Now tell me what happened to my brother."

"Hey, Kouji?" JP asked. "What makes you think he can tell us anything?"

Kouji groaned. "Do I have to spell it out for you?" he yelled.

Zoe resisted the sudden urge to slap him. "That's_ enough_, Kouji! You're letting you're worry about Kouichi turn you into a real jerk, y'know. Stop taking it out on us!"

Kouji sighed and softened his tone somewhat. He stood up straight, but still glared at Gotsumon. "You called us 'the other Legendary Warriors' before. I know you've seen Kouichi. Where is he? What happened to him?"

Gotsumon stubbornly avoided Kouji's eyes, but answered his question. "He showed up…what? The day before yesterday, I think. Sometime around noon. Anyway, we came back here, he met Sulamon, yadda, yadda, yadda. It was all fine until yesterday morning. Duskmon showed up and started wrecking the place. I went to get Kouichi so we could get outta here, but he wouldn't come. He said he could stop Duskmon."

"So you _left_ him?" Takuya shouted.

"What was I supposed to do? Last time I saw you humans, you could fight. I thought he could, too. But just after I got outside, Duskmon broke through the wall, holding Kouichi, and got away."

"Which way did he go?" Kouji demanded.

"Well, I was out front. Duskmon came out of the left wing and went…towards the back of the place."

Kouji walked away, not even acknowledging what Gotsumon had said. The four kids and Gotsumon followed, some out of confusion and curiosity, some out of frustration. Kouji stormed out the mansion's front doors, finding himself on a small lawn between the building and a fairly large lake.

"Excecute: Spirit Evolution … Lobomon!"

Lobomon paused only briefly to readjust to his Human Spirit. He turned to the left wing and was about to take off after his brother when the others came out. He spoke before anyone else had a chance to:

"Don't bother trying to stop me. I'm going after my brother."

"Execute: Spirit Evolution…Kazemon!"

Lobomon stared at her. "What?" she asked innocently. "Flying's faster than walking."

Lobomon smiled slowly. "Thanks."

"Execute: Spirit Evolution…Kumamon!"

"Execute: Spirit Evolution…Beetlemon!"

"Execute: Beast Spirit Evolution…BurningGreymon!"

"You're not leaving _us _behind!" Beetle called.

BurningGreymon nodded. "Let's go." He picked up Lobomon, Beetlemon picked up Kumamon, and the three flyers took off.

-

They had been flying in silence for about two hours, and it was getting tedious. The storm had lasted for 45 minutes, forcing them to fly low. After it ended, a mist gathered, thick in some places and almost nonexistent in others. With dodging trees during the storm and not having any visible sun to orient themselves, they had veered quite a bit off course. As a result, they were headed not north, to the border between the Fire and Ice Sectors, but just north of due east, towards the Wind Sector. Call it fate, chance, or coincidence, but they were flying for the spot where Duskmon had defeated Lowemon not quite three hours ago.

But they would not reach that location. Not yet. Because right now…

"Hey! Look down there! Something's moving!" Kumamon pointed, below and slightly ahead of their current course, where there were only a few shreds of mist. A small figure was inching along towards them. Of course, it only looked tiny because they had been flying high above the trees. Ever since the storm had ended, the black sun had been shining in their eyes. (They had no clue why a _black_ sun was shining light in the first place, but it was.) From up here, a small patch of clouds blocked the sun.

Kazemon, whose visor acted like sunglasses, blocking the bright light while still allowing clear vision, flew lower. Of the five, she was the only one who would be able to see. Well, she saw, and she could hardly believe her eyes. It was Kouichi, trudging along. She couldn't tell from here if he was tired or disoriented, or even if he was hurt at all, but it didn't matter at that point. He was alive!

"Well?" Lobomon shouted down at her. "What is it?"

She grinned at him "It's Kouichi!"

Most of the Legendary Warriors did not register this statement immediately, and when they did, they didn't react for a few more seconds. Lobomon, on the other hand, reacted in a matter of instants. And since he couldn't fly, that reaction was kicking BurningGreymon to get him moving. They dove down, Kazemon beside them, and Beetlemon and Kumamon a few seconds behind. They touched down a few feet from Kouichi and devolved.

Kouichi stared at them with half-closed eyes, one corner of his mouth tugging into a smile. "Kouji!" He dashed forward, but stumbled after a few steps, falling forward. Kouji was already there to catch him.

"What happened to you?" The younger twin asked. Kouichi closed his eyes and sighed. His whole body seemed to sag. He slumped to his knees, drawing Kouji down into the mud with him. "Kouichi?" A hint of panic entered his voice. "What did Duskmon do to you?"

"It wasn't Duskmon." Kouichi's voice was dull, his body still. That alone sent a chill through Kouji. He placed his hands firmly on his brother's shoulders, desperately hoping to impart some strength to him. Kouichi kept his head bowed.

The others had gathered behind Kouji, worried about Kouichi but hesitant to interrupt. Takuya had watched with a growing sense of foreboding as Kouchi remained unresponsive. What could have happened, especially since Duskmon apparently wasn't responsible? Kouichi was quite by nature, but not this quiet, and not this closed off, either. Not with Kouji. Even with others around, Kouichi would find a way to communicate to Kouji.

Tommy and JP harbored similar thoughts, as did Zoe. Or she _had,_ but now the light was reflecting into her eyes. _Stupid light! How does a black sun shine normal light, anyway? _Whatever the light was reflecting off of, it didn't reflect into the boys' eyes. Or maybe they were just ignoring it. After all, the sun had been reflecting off water for more than half the morning. Kazemon's visor had filtered out most of it, so this was the first she'd had to deal with it. The boys were probably used to it by now.

In any case, Zoe looked for the source of the glare. When she found it, though, she just gaped. It was coming from what Kouichi held in his hand, near the ground: a knife. And at the moment, he was raising it towards Kouji's abdomen. The younger twin was too busy worrying about Kouichi to notice.

"No!" A blur burst out from behind a clump of nearby bushes and lunged for Kouichi, who scrambled away, dropping the knife. Kouji stared at it and then at Kouichi, whose red eyes had gone wide at the sight of the newcomer.

"So you decided to come, after all."

The newcomer did not reply. Everyone turned to see who it was. One would think that nothing could surprise them at this point. After all, just look at their surroundings - a grayscale world with impossible amounts of light coming from a black sun in a white sky. But surprised they were, because it was Kouichi, identical to the one that had had the knife, but with blue eyes.

The red-eyed Kouichi smirked for no apparent reson and turned to Kouji. He seemed to be considering something. "I could eliminate you now, I suppose – "

"Oh, really?" Takuya interrupted, sounding dubious. "I'd like to see you try!"

The boy stood up. "I will…But not now. That time has not yet come."

Zoe sighed. "Of course it hasn't. So when _will_ it be 'time'?"

"Twenty minutes over the next hill," he mocked. A thick mist converged around him, concealing him from sight. Takuya charged forward, hoping to grab the red-eyed boy, but he went right through the mist. Whoever the boy was, he was gone.

Kouichi – assuming it was really him – remained stiff, half-crouched near Kouji. As the mist drew back, he stood up and turned away from the others. Kouji's head snapped towards his brother. Standing up, he grabbed Kouichi's wrist to stop him. The older twin jumped. He stared at the hand grasping his wrist, following the arm up until he met Kouji's eyes. He paled.

"Kouichi," Kouji whispered, struggling to control his rising fear. "What's going on?"

Zoe came up beside Kouji. "Please, Kouichi," she pleaded. "We can't help you if you won't tell us what's going on."

Kouichi shifted his gaze to her. A strange pain entered his eyes, and he looked away. "No." His voice sounded hoarse; he cleared his throat. "No. I can't do that to you."

"Huh?" Takuya stepped up on Kouji's other side. "You're not making any sense."

"I'm sorry," Kouichi said, pulling away firmly, though his face said he didn't want to. "You're just going to have to trust me." He backed up, then turned and walked away. Kouji called out after him, but Kouichi clenched his fists and broke into a sprint. He wouldn't allow himself to look back.

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…**And the spree is still going strong! I'm writing the last page of chapter 14 right now! Yay! Three chapters left after that!**

**So…anyway….ATTWT…right. My computer still isn't in use, so I still don't have Kado's pic ready. I'll get that up when I can…But for now, I'll give you some real information…Sorta. Well, I'll tell you this: The Frontier kids will be in there, but they won't be the focus for most of the story.**

**More next time!**

**Review!**

**-Child of Healing**

Word Count: 2824


	13. 1 13

**Yahoo! Sorry. I don't say that often, but I'm really excited today! I am SO close to finishing this story! I finished half of chapter 16 when I started writing this, and I'm still going strong. I have to force myself to find time to type, otherwise this would never get up.**

**On another high note, I have my own laptop now! I mean, sure, it's a hand-me-down (already on it's third wind – first my dad, then my sister when he got a new one, and now, since it was getting stressed at college, me. Seriously, it was freaking out because she had her printer in her room but she had to go down to the lobby to get internet signal!) Anyway, that means I have internet in my room! The only problem is not staying on so long that I don't do any homework.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it! HAPPY? HUH? ARE YA?**

**Old Demons**

**Chapter 13: A Thing Called Family **

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_"Some things you do because you want to. Some things you do because of the needs of others in your family."  
-Real Live Preacher_

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Kouichi's breath came in ragged gasps. He had been running hard for almost fifteen minutes, doing his best to ignore the pain in his side. Rational thought finally took over and he slowed to a walk. Even though his legs felt like jello, he stubbornly kept walking, kept putting distance behind him. After only a few more steps, his aching legs finally rebelled, refusing to support his weight anymore. For a few moments he laid there panting. No one had pursued him, he thought, or else they would have caught up already.

'**_Yes…At last!'_**

Kouichi shivered, trying not to remember. _I have to keep going. I can't stop. I can't remember! _He struggled to stand. The act of walking would keep him occupied…And he would keep walking until he passed out. He would be so tired that he couldn't possibly dream about it. After a moment, the irony registered. He could hardly remember what it was that had happened, and yet he knew that he didn't want to remember. He would do anything to avoid remembering. All he knew was that it had to do with…_him_.

_The darkness was impenetrable; the silence absolute. Even the menacing howl of the wind would have been an improvement._

He knew he had messed up. Big time. Now his mistakes were his friends' problem too. _They shouldn't have to deal with him. NO! Stop thinking about it! _He turned his attention to his surroundings. He was still in the Water Sector, headed northeast. Eventually he would reach the Icefield. He wouldn't be able to stay there at night. North – that was the only way left to him. South or west could lead to Kouji, and east would take him to the Icefield, where he'd have to turn south.

'_**I am free…'**_

No! Kouichi clenched his fists, forced his mind off the subject. School! How much had he missed? He'd have to make it up when he got back. If he ever got back.

'_**And it's all…'**_

Anything but that! His friends! Even though they probably hated him or were terrified of him, but at least he had good memories. Zoe and the others forgiving him for what he had done almost before Kouji did…the picnic in the park on his last day on Earth… All of that had been tainted by Duskmon. Would he never be free?

'…_**because…'**_

"Stop thinking about it!" Kouichi's voice echoed slightly in the mostly-open area.

'…_**of you.'**_

It was no use. His body kept walking, but his fists unclenched and his eyes unfocused. He had no choice now but to remember.

-

**--(Flashback)--**

**-**

"I'm nothing like you!"

The anger. Kouichi wanted to tear Duskmon apart for what he had done. He had killed Lowemon! He wouldn't get away with it! Justified or not, the anger broke a barrier that his long-standing guilt had weakened.

'_**Yes. I am.'**_

Kouichi gagged at the onslaught of…whatever it was he had just released. The being Duskmon would later refer to as the darkling. The darkling was ferocious. He was powerful. And he was awake, wanting to be free. But to achieve that, he needed Kouichi. He attacked the boy's consciousness, causing a splitting headache. The darkness gathering around Kouichi was nothing more than a physical manifestation of the internal attack. When the darkling succeeded in breaking Kouichi's consciousness, the boy's body blacked out. Now it was the two personas, facing off in the realm of the subconscious. In fact, it was the transfer into the subconscious and back out that had disrupted Kouichi's memories.

It was like a black orb, crackling with red and violet lightning bolts. Roughly three-quarters of the way down the sphere, a level floor cut across. The darkling stood over Kouichi, who was unconscious but slowly stirring.

Kouichi's first thoughts at seeing the face peering down at him was that Kouji had found him. Disorientation set it as he realized the other boy was too identical: same outfit, same hairstyle…The only difference was in the other's crimson eyes, which were now starting at Kouichi with something between curiosity and disgust. A purple lightning bolt flashed overhead.

"**You?" **the darkling scoffed. **"You are the one who set me free? You hardly seem capable of true anger. Guilt, yes…Fear, I'm sure. But it was anger that released me. I recognize the tang."**

It was odd to hear the darkling speak. At first, he sounded exactly like Kouichi, albeit emotionless. He had no unique personality or tone; he was simply a facet of his host's mind. In a way, that was what scared Kouichi the most, so when the voice changed, he was almost relieved. The darkling's voice became low and husky, like Kouji's, but whereas Kouji's tone was one of detachment, the darkling's communicated engagement, along with cruel disregard for the feelings of any being but himself.

"What are you?"

A scarlet bolt touched down behind the darkling.** "I am the darkling – the one you've been trying to ignore. I've only stayed trapped for all this time because our brother's light weakened me. But our brother isn't here now. Without him, you are nothing. You stand in the shadows cast by the Light, but when the Light is extinguished, you lose your power."**

Kouichi backed away slowly, still on the ground. When he was a few feet away, he settled into a crouch. "What do you want with me?" he asked, struggling not to let his voice shake. A bolt of red lightning struck the ground behind him, making him jump.

The darkling laughed. Another red bolt flashed to the darkling's left. **"Nothing, really. I just need your help."**

A small smirk came to Kouichi's face. "You expect me to help you? You're wasting your time."

"**I wasn't asking."**

A massive red bolt struck, starting as one trunk but branching on its way down so that it struck the ground between Kouichi and the darkling in six places. When it fizzled out, the darkling was nowhere to be seen.

A hand wrapped around the back of Kouichi's neck. It wasn't strangling him, but it was painful nonetheless.

"**Yes…" **The darkling squeezed harder, and Kouichi's vision filled with static. A purple bolt collided with a red bolt five feet from Kouichi and four feet off the ground. A cloudy gray oval appeared and began to grow. **"At last!" **The darkling leaned forward to whisper in Kouichi's ear. **"And so, regrettably, I must take my leave."**

He shoved Kouichi to the ground and ran to the portal. As soon as he was through, it began to shrink. The lightning suddenly ceased, sending the orb into darkness. The only source of light was the dwindling portal, and it couldn't really be considered light; more of a lesser degree of darkness. Through it, Kouichi could hear wind, harsh and throbbing like a midnight storm that wakes you up. Then the darkling spoke.

"**I feel I owe you a thank you. And since I don't plan on waiting for you to come to, I may as well do it now. I am free. And it's all because of you."**

The portal vanished as the darkling finished speaking. The darkness once again took control. It was impenetrable, the silence absolute. Even the menacing howl of the wind would have been an improvement.

The orb began to pulse in time with Kouichi's slowly-beating heart. His thoughts blurred in the non-area between dream and wakefulness. When he awoke, the darkling was nowhere to be seen. The crater caused by Velgemon's Dark Obliteration attack cut into the ground a matter of feet from Kouichi. That he remembered clearly. Needing to get away from the battle-scarred land, he climbed a nearby hill. Movement to the west caught his eye. His face contorted into a scowl._ The darkling._

'**_Very good.'_ **The distant figure stopped moving. Kouichi could have sworn the darkling was looking at him._ **'Although I must admit. I didn't expect you to wake up quite so soon.'**_

_What's going on? _Kouichi wondered.

'**_Are you really _that**_ **stupid? We share a telepathic bond. After all, we are one and the same.'**_

_Where are you going?_

'_**Our pathetic brother and his friends are here in Dusk. It's only a matter of time before I run into them.'**_

_OUR brother? _His_ friends? Kouji is _not_ your brother, and they're my friends too!_ The was the darkling referred to them irritated Kouichi. Implying that Kouichi didn't have any friends of his own. It was so familiar… _Leave them out of this! If you hurt them –_

'**_Why would I want to do that? Of course, what _I_ could do to them pales in comparison to what would happen, say, if I unleashed the power of Duskmon against them.'_**

_Duskmon! What do you mean?_

'_**When I escaped from your subconscious, Duskmon was waiting. He was more than willing to fuse with me. I don't think he expected me to remain in control. It must have been embarrassingly easy for him to manipulate you if he was that confident he could control me… In any case, I now wield greater power than he could ever dream of. Kouji and the rest of his worthless friends don't stand a chance.'**_

_Whatever it is you're planning, I'll stop you. You aren't going to hurt my friends._

'**_How quaint. Let me guess – you're "good", I'm "evil", and "good" always wins. You'll pull victory out of nowhere, right? I know that's how you expect it to go. But you're wrong this time. You have no more tricks up your sleeve; our brother and the gogglehead can't even access their unified spirit forms. I have the advantage in this world. I_ will _win. If you value your life, you won't interfere.'_**

-

Kouichi trailed the darkling for close to two hours, slowly gaining on him. The hills made for an arduous journey. He passed a line of leafless willows after about an hour. It was the border of the Wind Sector. As soon as he stepped across, the wind died and the humidity soared. The air filled with mist.

But now it was long after the drastic change in scenery. Kouichi was starting to tire, and was almost ready to abandon his chase. Then he felt a shift in the darkling's demeanor. He had seen something. Kouichi looked up to see a group of figures in the sky quite a way off. As he watched, the smallest distinct figure flew lower. It seemed almost familiar, but he couldn't identify it from so far away.

'_**Kazemon. They're here…Now the fun begins.'**_

_No! _Kouichi broke into a sprint, trying to keep and eye on Kazemon and the others as they descended. He eventually lost sight of them in the mist, but he continued on to where they must have landed. Approaching that location, Kouichi noticed the mist drastically thinning, and he faltered as a thought entered his head. He dove behind a large tree and fought to catch his breath. Kouji couldn't be more than a few hundred feet away. But what if it wasn't real? It could just be an illusion…

"What did Duskmon do to you?" That was Kouji's voice, and he sounded concerned. But, then again, the illusion had sounded real enough before…

"It wasn't Duskmon." **_'It was you. You did this to yourself, Kouichi, and you're doing this to them.'_**

Kouichi frowned and snuck closer. He crouched behind a bush. Kouji was on his knees in the mud with the darkling, whose head was bowed, no doubt to preven Kouji and the others from seeing his red eyes. Kouji's hands were on the darkling's shoulders, and he was trying to get the darkling to meet his eyes. JP, Tommy, Takuya, and Zoe were behind Kouji.

If it was really them.

Of course, the fact that Kouji was _touching_ the darkling cast some degree of doubt on the theory that it was an illusion…unless the darkling had created an illusion of himself.

But if it _was _an illusion, what was the darkling trying to accomplish?

'**_Idiot. You haven't figured it out yet? You're hardly worth my time as it is. It's almost making me reconsider.' _**That was when Kouichi saw the knife. **_'Without your strength, you will be all too easy to destroy.'_**

"NO!"

Kouichi lunged. Even if this was an illusion, he didn't think he could stand to watch Kouji die again. The darkling scrambled away, abandoning the knife.

"So you decided to come after all." Mild surprise showed on the darkling's face. **_'I didn't realize you were so close...No matter. All this means is that I can have fun with you before I kill you. I look forward to our battle.' _**During this, the darkling had carried on a brief conversation with the others. Kouichi had not been able to follow it. It made him wonder how the darkling could. The darkling was now standing, and Zoe was speaking:

"So when _will _it be 'time'?" She sounded frustrated.

"Twenty minutes over the next hill." He grinned mockingly at Kouichi. Mist streamed towards the darkling. **_'I wish I could stay to see how your "friends" will handle the fact that you just tried to kill your brother. But this is between you and Kouji. It just wouldn't be right of me to intrude.'_**

Takuya's blind charge dissipated the mist. Kouichi stood silently, turning his back on the illusions that would inevitably end within moments. He felt something on his wrist. His head jerked around and he saw what was holding him back. Kouji's hand. Which meant this wasn't an illusion. He met Kouji's eyes. The darkling would have _killed _his brother if he hadn't done anything.

"Kouichi, what's going on?" Kouji sounded…scared. He shouldn't have ever sounded like that. He was strong. Kouichi had always been able to rely on him. But if he was scared…how could Kouichi stand against the darkling?

Suddenly Zoe was there. "Please, Kouichi. We can't help you if you won't tell us what's going on."

Kouichi stared at her. What if the darkling came after her next? Kouji's kendo skills gave him a decent chance to survive the initial attack, but Zoe didn't have that advantage. If the darkling got to her before she could Spirit Evolve, she wouldn't stand a chance. He couldn't lose her. "No." The word caught in his throat. "No. I can't do that to you."

"You're not making any sense." Takuya. He'd been the one to convince Kouji to free Kouichi, even if that meant fighting him. Takuya had never blamed Kouichi for Duskmon, even when he _was _the evil digimon.

They were the most important people in the world to him. He couldn't let them get hurt because of him. "I'm sorry." He pulled away. "You're just going to have to trust me." He turned away. Even when Kouji called after him, he didn't turn around. If he did, he would have asked for help. They would get hurt. So he started running.

-

**--(End Flashback)--**

-

Kouichi stopped walking. _It's no use. I can't win. _Duskmon had always been powerful. He had single-handedly overpowered five Beast Spirits, and it had taken two Fusion Warriors to defeat Velgemon. Even Lowemon had failed. And now Duskmon and the darkling had fused, becoming even stronger – assuming the darkling was telling the truth. Even if Kouichi had his spirits, he wouldn't stand a chance. He needed Kouji. The others had been in their spirit forms. They could at least fight the darkling. Two Fused Spirits and three Beast Spirits…There had to be some chance they could win. They would find a way, just like every other time. The darkling didn't believe that, but that didn't mean it wouldn't happen. They'd fought impossible fights before and come out on top. Besides, those odds were better than Kouichi's bare hands.

But that wasn't right. This was Kouichi's fight. It was him, the purified darkness, against the darkling, the corrupted darkness. The darkling was part of him. He was created when Cherubimon corrupted him, yes, but they shared one spirit. Kouichi had been the one to release him. Now he had to take responsibility for it. How could he pass off his own mistakes and expect others to clean up after him? No, he had to do this himself.

He couldn't. It was too big a responsibility for any one person to take on alone. There was no shame in asking for needed help. And there was no denying that he needed help now. He was a digidestined. He was part of a team. The team was meant to fight together; none of them could reach their full potential alone. He had asked for help before. Why should he hesitate now?

How could he continue relying on others? All the others had fought their own battles. Kouji had held his own against Duskmon and later Velgemon in the fights leading up to Duskmon's defeat. Takuya had turned the tide of the battle against Mercurymon and Ranamon when Tommy, JP, and Zoe had been kidnapped. And he had heard plenty of stories of the others winning their own battles, particularly inside Sakkakumon. Kouichi had only taken part in four battles: on against an illusion, and one in which he had "died". And the other two times, he had only been trying to help the others, to prevent them from being hurt.

That, though, was exactly what would happen here. If he went to his friends, the darkling would come after them. They would get hurt, maybe killed, and he would be to blame. His very presence would put them at risk.

_But does it really matter? _The darkling had already gone after Kouji once, without Kouichi being there to draw his attention. The darkling apparently thought killing Kouji would take away Kouichi's power. In all likelihood, Kouji, the strongest opponent, would be the primary target. And if the darkling came after Kouichi first, Kouichi would fall, and the darkling would be free to go after the others.

Numbing realization thudded through Kouichi. He hadn't seen or heard from the darkling since he'd run away. It had been almost 45 minutes. There was no reason for the darkling to wait that long. But he hadn't come after Kouichi. That meant…

"Kouji!"

He had to help! But where were they? He couldn't waste any time. They might already be fighting the darkling. He had to get there _now_.

_Twenty minutes over the next hill…_

Hills! Could they be there? There was no time to debate. Kouichi glanced at the sun, turning to where he though the Wind Sector might be and took off running. _I hope I'm right.

* * *

_

**There ya go. I hope it wasn't too redundant for you. Or too boring. I needed to put all that stuff in there to really show what was going through Kouichi's head.**

**The next chapter starts the battle! Mwahaha!**

**ATTWT "And Then There Were Ten"**

**:D**

**It looks like I might have to completely redo Kado's picture. I only had it on my old computer, and I don't know if I'll ever use it again. That could be a problem because now I don't have a base for him…We'll see what happens.**

**Review!**

**-Child of Healing**

Word Count: 3113 (Wow! Hm…I wonder if I could write a five thousand word chapter?)


	14. 1 14

**Now that I think about it, the next chapter would have been a good one to put out on either Friday the 13th or Halloween. But it's too late for the former and I won't make you wait for the latter. Actually, I'm writing the last chapter now, and I just have 16 and 17 left to type. This story is almost done!**

**Disclaimer: I own Digimon. I also own a sarcasm light. I'm serious about the light. Really.**

**Old Demons**

**Chapter 14: A Different Kind of Darkness

* * *

**

"_There is a greater darkness than the one we fight. It is the darkness of the soul that has lost its way. The war we fight is not against powers and principalities, it is against chaos and despair. Greater than the death of the flesh is the death of hope. The death of dreams. Against this peril we can never surrender."_

_-J. Michael Straczynki

* * *

_

The Legendary Warriors stared at the place Kouichi had been. None of them moved to chase after him; they were too shocked. After all, they were still trying to figure out what had just happened. Assuming the Kouichi who had run away was the real one, who was the other? Where had he come from? Apparently Kouichi knew something about him, but he hadn't exactly stuck around to explain it.

"Um…What was that all about?" Zoe seemed hesitant to speak, but the silence had been too much for her. She forced her eyes off the horizon and turned to look at Takuya and Kouji. Kouji's eyes were narrowed and fixed on the ground. His lips were pressed together into a thin frown. Takuya wasn't much better. His mouth wasn't quite shut and he kept glancing between Kouji and the horizon. Neither one seemed to have heard her.

She huffed out of exasperation. Turning around, the found Tommy and JP, wide-eyed, staring at Kouji as if expecting him to take off after his brother at any moment. They didn't even look at her.

"HELLO!" she roared. Tommy and JP jumped; Takuya glanced sidelong at her, only half interested. Kouji didn't move.

"Yeesh, Z. Do ya have to be so loud?" JP cringed at the glare Zoe sent him.

"I wouldn't have to yell if you would've listened to me the _first time_!"

Takuya turned around. "Well, excu-use us if we were too busy thinking about how to save Kouichi to listen to you complain!"

"Thinking!" Zoe scoffed. "Yeah, right! The only thing any of you were thinking about was how Kouji was reacting."

"Hey!" JP interrupted. "Who says – "

"Oh, so now we can't even worry about our friends?" Takuya demanded.

"That's not what I'm saying, Takuya. But we're going to have to _do_ something productive eventually!"

"Don't fight!" Tommy pleaded.

"Exactly my point!" Takuya didn't seem to notice the young boy. "I was _trying_ to come up with a plan!"

"Like what? 'Attack together'? Takuya, we don't even know what we're up against, let alone how to fight it. I mean, unless _you've_ figured it all out already, in which case, go right ahead and tell me!"

"Alright, fine! You win! I don't know what that thing was! But talking about it isn't going to help us figure out where it came from!"

"And blindly rushing into battle isn't going to do us any good, either! We've got to –"

"Stop it. Both of you." Kouji slowly turned around, glaring at Takuya and Zoe. They cringed. "All this arguing is pointless. We need to figure out what we're going to do and do it. Just like we've always done."

Zoe took a deep breath and smiled weakly at Takuya. "Sorry. I guess I'm just not thinking straight."

"That's alright," Takuya said, rubbing the back of his head. "It's not like I'm any better."

"You can say that again," Zoe muttered, then grinned sheepishly at Kouji and Takuya's glares. "Right. Sorry."

Takuya rolled his eyes. "So…I guess we should start with what we know." Everyone stared at him. "What, you want me to start? Zoe was the one who wanted to do this in the first place! Zoe? What do we know?"

"Well," Zoe sighed, "I suppose the obvious is the best place to start. We know Kouichi and some evil look-alike are both out there somewhere."

"The red-eyed guy doesn't like us," Tommy piped up, "but he didn't seem to be in a big hurry to…do anything…"

"He can run away real fast in this mist," JP said.

"If we can believe him," Takuya started slowly, "he's strong enough to beat us…Not that we can trust that. Seriously, every single enemy we've ever fought thought they were strong enough to beat us and now look at them. We'll trounce this guy too!"

JP, Tommy, and Zoe sweatdropped. "At least he's confident," Zoe sighed.

"He was scared."

Everyone turned to look at Kouji, who probably hadn't heard any of their conversation. Takuya opened his mouth to reply, but Kouji kept going, turning to look at the abandoned knife that still glinted in the mud a few feet away.

"Didn't you see him? But he wasn't scared at first. He was…detached. Other than when he stopped the…evil one from stabbing me, he just stood there. And the way he just started to leave as soon as the mist cleared…It's like we weren't even here."

"But when you grabbed his wrist," Zoe mused, "he freaked out. That's when he got scared. He looked like…like he had just realized something. After that he just wanted to leave. He was so shocked that you grabbed him…" She paused, thinking about something, and nodded. "I think it was just the fact that you were holding his wrist. That you _could."_

Takuya frowned. "What makes you say that? It doesn't make any sense!"

"It's called reading people," Zoe said, sounding exasperated. "Kouichi freaked out when Kouji grabbed his wrist, not when Kouji started talking. The only logical reasons are that he didn't think Kouji could, that he didn't think Kouji would, or that he didn't want to have anything to do with us. But he was shocked, not angry, which means something happened that he didn't expect to. And if he didn't think Kouji would, he wouldn't have gotten scared, and he wouldn't have been so reluctant to pull away. That only leaves one explanation."

Kouji nodded. "The only question now is why. Why would he think I couldn't touch him?"

"There is no reason," Takuya said stubbornly. "Because that's _not _what he was freaked about."

"Don't be so quick to judge," Zoe reprimanded.

JP rolled his eyes. "I think you and Kouji have both gone off the deep end! There has to be another explanation."

They fell silent for a few minutes, each trying to figure out what might have happened. Finally Tommy spoke up:

"Why d'you think he left so quickly?"

"He didn't want to, that's for sure," Zoe murmured.

"Kouji?" Takuya asked. "What do you say? He's your twin."

Kouji rolled his eyes. "That doesn't mean we share a brain stem." He paused. "I think he was worried something would happen to us because of him. And don't ask me why I say that," he added pointedly, staring at Takuya.

Zoe sighed. "Leave it to Kouichi to feel responsible for this."

Silence fell once again. Zoe stood with her head bowed, biting her nails. It helped her think. Kouji had his arms crossed, kicking absently at the mud as he thought. JP tried to think for a few minutes, but got bored. He folded his arms behind his head and took to counting the trees and, when he finished that, the leaves. Tommy thought, but his eyes kept returning to the knife. It was starting to creep him out. Takuya stood in silence, studying the others, but after a few minutes, his impatience got the better of him.

"So are we done yet or what? I think we've wasted enough time already."

"Where are we supposed to go?" Tommy asked, more than willing to get away from the knife.

"Well," Takuya pointed to where Kouichi had gone. "Kouichi went that way. I'd say that's at least a starting point."

"A starting point, yeah," JP said. "But come on! How likely is it that he kept going straight?"

"What else are we supposed to do?" Takuya cried. "Standing around isn't getting us anywhere!"

"Have you considered trying to use your D-Tector?" Zoe asked. She was smiling at them over the digivice she held in her hands.

Kouji grabbed his own D-Tector and stared at it. "How do you even know Kouichi has his D-Tector?"

"I don't," she admitted, "but Lowemon wasn't with him. And anyway, if it works, we know where to go. I say it's worth a shot." She began pressing random buttons, hoping it would work for her. (Hey, that was how she had discovered the communication feature, wasn't it?) After ten seconds of this, a gray sphere appeared and hovered over the screen. Darker gray lines crisscrossed the sphere's surface and a light gray dot blinked at one edge. Zoe turned until the dot was straight ahead. "Looks like he's that way."

"Wait. How do you know it picked up the right signal?" Takuya challenged.

Kouji glared at him. "Are you going to nitpick all day or can we go after my brother already?"

Five minutes later, they were in the air, Kazemon flying low, Beetlemon, carrying Tommy, higher, using clouds to block the sun again. BurningGreymon was also up higher, carrying Kouji, who was watching the sphere above his D-Tector. They only flew for about twenty-five minutes before crossing into the Wind Sector. (Of course, they didn't know about the sectors. Still, they did notice a sudden increase to gale-force winds, and that the ground had become hills.) Fifteen minutes after that, their progress slowed somewhat by the wind (other than Kazemon, who actually seemed to have it easier with the wind)…

"We passed it."

"What do you mean we passed it?"

"I mean the D-Tector says the signal is coming from behind us now. Turn around."

Beetlemon heard Kouji and BurningGreymon arguing and stopped. "What was that?"

"The signal's coming from behind us," Kouji said. "We passed it."

"Oh." Beetlemon turned and flew towards Kazemon, who had been almost enjoying flying in the strong winds with only her thoughts disturbing her element. "Kazemon! Hey, Kazemon!" He finally broke through her reverie. "We passed him! Turn around!"

"Passed him?" Kazemon asked, but complied anyway. "But I didn't see anything."

They flew back the way they came…and passed the source of the signal again.

"Okay, y'know what?" Kouji grumbled to BurningGreymon. "This isn't going to work. You need to land. We'll find him on foot." BurningGreymon landed obligingly, and the others took the hint. Kouji started walking as the three spirits devolved. But all he saw when he reached the top of the next hill was a crater.

Takuya reached the top next. "Uh…I wasn't sure this thing was picking up the right signal, but I thought it was at least picking up _something_."

Zoe and the other buys come up behind them. "There's gotta be something here," Zoe said firmly. Her next word wasn't as confident. "Right?"

Kouji started down the hill. "I'm going to find out."

Kouji in the lead, they descended, running to keep from falling. When they reached the lip of the crater, they were a little more cautious. The depression was shaped like a perfect half-sphere – obviously not natural. Kouji began lowering himself in. Suddenly the crater's rim gave way and he slid down the steep slope.

"Execute: Spirit Evolution…Kazemon!" Kazemon slowed Kouji's slide and helped him to his feet. "Weren't you muddy enough before?"

Kouji rolled his eyes, brushed himself off, and walked forward. "Very funny. Let's just find whatever the stupid D-Tector is reacting to and get out of here."

Kazemon sighed, following Kouji to the center of the crater, where he stopped. The gray dot was at the center of the sphere. The D-Tector beeped once and the entire display disappeared. Kouji looked down. There, half-buried in the dirt, was a D-Tector. Static periodically filled the screen, and in between, Lowemon's symbol of Darkness glowed.

As Kouji picked it up, Kazemon pursed her lips. "What's that doing out here?"

Kouji shook his head. "Let's get back to the others and figure out what to do." Kazemon wrapped her arms around his waist and took to the air, flying back to the rim.

"Lunar Plasma!"

An orb of red energy crashed into Kazemon's back. With a pained cry, she crashed into the ground, letting go of Kouji in the process. The Warrior of Light scrambled to his feet and turned to face their attacker – Duskmon. Kazemon too stood up, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"Duskmon!" Takuya shouted. "I should have known you'd show up."

Duskmon chuckled. "Of course. I told you I'd eliminate you when the time came. And now is that time."

Kouji's eyes narrowed. _No…It can't be…_

"For you see, the Duskmon you are thinking of is no longer here." A cocoon of gray fractal code surrounded him, peeling away to reveal the red-eyed Kouichi. He smirked. "I wasn't lying when I said I could eliminate you."

"Yeah, right!" Takuya shouted. "We beat you before and we'll do it again!"

"Hardly. It wasn't me you fought, but…we can do this the hard way." Fractal code surrounded him once more, and he became Duskmon. The digidestined didn't waste time:

"Execute: Beast Spirit Evolution…Korikakumon!"

"Execute: Beast Spirit Evolution…MetalKabuterimon!"

"Execute: Fusion Evolution…Aldamon!"

"Execute: Fusion Evolution…Beowulfmon!"

"Kazemon: Slide Evolution…Zephyrmon!"

Three Beast Spirits and two Fusion Warriors against one Human Spirit. This would be easy.

"Atomic Inferno!" Aldamon aimed his guns at Duskmon and let loose, peppering the corrupt spirit with yellow energy blasts. Duskmon leaped backwards, well out of Aldamon's range.

"Frozen Arrowheads!" Duskmon grabbed the incoming "arrowheads" and used them to throw Korikakumon into the crater.

"Deadly Gaze." The red lasers hit Korikakumon with impossible force. By the time MetalKabuterimon stopped Duskmon with a Bolo Thunder, Korikakumon had devolved.

"Tommy!" Aldamon cried. He turned on Duskmon while the corrupt Warrior of Darkness was fending off Zephyrmon's Hurricane Gale. Aldamon charged, aiming for Duskmon's back. A sword to his side stopped his advance and sent him to his knees.

Surprise registered in Duskmon's eyes. "That blow should have devolved you. You're stronger than I expected."

"Funny how that works," Aldamon grunted, standing up.

"No matter." Duskmon slammed the flat of his sword into Aldamon's temple and followed up with a kick to the side. The Warrior of Fire was sent flying, giving Duskmon time to attack the others.

"Bolo Thunder!"

"Hurricane Gale!"

"Cleansing Light!"

The attacks came at him from his right, above, and his left, respectively. Duskmon charged to the right. His sword absorbed the two electric orbs; the other attacks missed him entirely. Duskmon leaped into the air, plunging his sword, which was now crackling with red lighting, into MetalKabuterimon's back. The electricity sparked along his mechanical body, proving to be too much for his systems. He devolved.

"Hurricane Gale!" Zephyrmon, wary of getting too close to Duskmon, was fifty feet up when she launched her attack. Of course, because she was so far away, Duskmon had more than enough time to react.

"Lunar Plasma." The energy orb tore through the whirlwind of feathers easily, nullifying Zephyrmon's attack, but the natural wind blew the orb off course. Zephyrmon didn't even have to dodge.

"Frozen Hunter!" As Duskmon lunged, his sword cutting through the wolf image and clanging against Beowulfmon's armor.

"Solar Wind Destroyer!" Aldamon by this time was back on his feet. While Duskmon extended his left sword to counter the attack, Aldamon tackled him. Duskmon roared furiously, kicking him away.

"You'll pay for that. Deadly Gaze!"

"Atomic Inferno!" Red lasers met yellow blasts. Both attacks were nullified. "Nice try, Duskmon, but you'll have to do better than that."

"I plan to," Duskmon whispered from behind Aldamon. Three incredibly fast slashes of Duskmon's right sword later, Takuya was left groaning on the ground."

"Frozen Hunter!"

"Deadly Gaze." The eyes on Duskmon's armor focused behind him, cutting through the apparition and hitting Beowulfmon. Duskmon turned to look over his shoulder at the battered Warrior of Light. "It seems my dear brother is nearing the end of his rope."

Beowulfmon's face contorted into rage. "You're not my brother!" He launched an all-out attack against Duskmon, sword against Sword. It was only moments before Duskmon had the upper hand. They fought up a hill, ending up on its crest.

"Face it, _brother_," he mocked. "You're no match for me. Not in the Digital World and certainly not here."

"Plasma Pods!"

Duskmon's armor-eyes saw Zephyrmon, hands and feet covered by red energy, swooping down on him. With one hand, he deflected Beowulf's sword. With the other, he grabbed the Warrior of Light's wrist, swinging him around into Zephyrmon. Beowulfmon's sword caught Zephyrmon in the stomach, and her attack collided with him. Both devolved. Zoe went flying, landing painfully in the far wall of the crater. Kouji, still held by Duskmon, just moaned. His shoulder screamed at the sudden strain.

"How did we lose?" Takuya asked incredulously, picking himself up off the ground. "You-you're just a Human Spirit! You can't be that powerful!"

"Oh? And why can't I be?" He threw Kouji to the ground, stepping on his chest to keep him pinned. "I am the perfect fusion of human and spirit." To demonstrate, he devolved. "I don't need a digivice to evolve, and I certainly don't need someone controlling me. The only thing holding me back from ultimate power now is my pathetic other half."

Takuya stepped forward challengingly. "Oh yeah? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I was hoping to show you this." The air above them all seemed to waver. A black sphere appeared.

Zoe pulled herself out of the dirt and stood up. "What's that?"

"An illusion."

Kouji frowned. "And illusion?"

"Yes. This world gives me power. The dark makes things seem more threatening in your world. Here the Darkness makes things seem real that are not."

"Okay…" Takuya said. "Right. You were saying?"

"Thank you." The two Human Spirits of Darkness appeared on opposite sides of the black sphere. "There are two spirits of Darkness, but only one source of power. Because of this, each spirit receives half the power." The black sphere split in two, one side turning red and merging with the corrupt spirit; the other turned violet and merged with the purified spirit. The spirits morphed into the digimon forms. "So, indirectly, that power went to two separate human beings: Kouichi –" The image of Lowemon became Kouichi, with blue eyes. " – and the darkling. Me." Duskmon became Kouichi with red eyes. "Each of us holds half the power. Once one is destroyed, the other will reach his true potential." The illusion dissolved into static.

"So you have half the power you could have?" Takuya frowned. "Then we still should have been able to beat you!"

The darkling shook his head. "You still don't get it. The spirits gain and lose power based on how much energy of their element is available to them. The Real and Digital Worlds are worlds of light, so the Warrior of Light is powerful there. And other elemental energies are abundant. But this is a world of darkness. The Light has no power here, and other elements are contained within their sector. This is the Wind Sector, so the Warrior of Wind is strongest here. But everything in this world is darkness, and it all strengthens me."

"It strengthens my brother, too," Kouji said defiantly.

The darkling looked down at him. "All the more reason to eliminate you now. Without his precious brother, he'll be too lost to stand against me."

Kouji scowled. In one swift motion, he grabbed the darkling's foot on his chest and lifted, hoping to send the darkling to the ground. The darkling lost his balance, but threw down his arms to catch himself. Kouji was on his feet in an instant, but before he could go anywhere the darkling lashed out with his foot at Kouji's ankle. Kouji toppled backwards, the air rushing out of his lungs as he landed. He gasped, drawing in air, but the darkling dug his knee into Kouji's chest. Once more, Kouji was deprived of air. He could breathe only shallowly, and his lungs grew tight.

A blade pressed against his neck. Kouji focused his gaze on the darkling with some difficulty. The darkling smiled smugly at him. "Before I kill you," he whispered, "there's something you need to understand." His eyes wavered for a moment and turned deep, clear blue. His smile relaxed, becoming the genuine, open smile Kouji knew so well. The next time the darkling spoke, even his voice had changed, his tone becoming lighter. "I want you to know I'm the one doing all this."

**Phase One: Complete.**

**Wow! Ten. Pages. Without comments. O.O Cool…**

**And Then There Were Ten: Still not done with Kado's pic…But he, Jomei, Naoko, and Taura have a digimon guide: Tapirmon. And I was…well, to be blunt, I was tired, hyper, and mildly insane when I wrote his introduction, so his personality is…unique. I kinda like it, though, so it's not changing.**

**Review! Please? **

Word count: 3353 (And the count continues to climb! My new goal is 5000 words for chapter 16. I don't know about 17. I could have it going on for a long time, with wrapping everything up, but I don't want it to drag on too long…)


	15. 1 15

**Yes, it's early! This is my birthday gift to you. And what a birthday it was! Coming home sick from school, dinner with my college-aged sister, and a surprise party!... Now that I think about it, I may be taking on halfling traditions... Anyway, yes today is my birthday. I'm now 3,769. I know. Big landmark, isn't it? Although it kinda loses its magic considering it's the twentieth landmark I've celebrated. (In case you didn't figure it out by now, I'm not going to tell you how old I really am. I don't really care much about birthdays anyway.) I don't know if this is my favorite chapter or it that title goes to the next chapter...it's close.**

**Disclaimer: Go ahead. Tell me I own Digimon. I dare you!**

**Old Demons**

**Chapter 15: Darkness Rising

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**

"_The determined scholar and the man of virtue will not seek to live at the expense of injuring their virtue. They will even sacrifice their lives to preserve their virtue complete."  
__-Confucius

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_

Kouji stared up into the face of his brother. No. The darkling. The being looming over him was not Kouichi, whatever he claimed. Kouichi wouldn't do this. He couldn't. Kouichi wasn't so callous as to kill. He was too soft. And though the darkling would say it held him back, Kouji believed it was his brother's best quality.

No, it wasn't his brother holding a knife to his throat. Despite everything he saw and heard, Kouji refused to give in to that lie. If he died now…so be it. But he would not leave his brother with the burden of responsibility. This was not his fault.

Kouji closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable. His laborious breathing slowed somewhat, though his thoughts were still a bit fuzzy. Soon enough, he wouldn't need air anymore. There was a jolt, blood welled, and the pressure lifted.

-

Kouichi had been running for so long that he had stopped thinking altogether. He had been numb for most of the journey. All he had been aware of was the stinging pain shooting down his legs with each step and the rasping breaths that weren't quite sufficient. He had kept running when he crossed into the Wind Sector, afraid that he would collapse if he lost momentum.

As he had reached the top of one hill, his heart had skipped a beat. On top of the next hill, he had seen two nearly identical figures. The darkling and Kouji. Kouji had been flat on his back, the darkling on his chest. Though it was partially hidden by their bodies, Kouichi had seen a knife in the darkling's right hand, held against the far side of Kouji's neck.

With one last desperate burst of speed, Kouichi had run down the hill, almost losing his balance. His legs had burned, but he had kept going, refusing to give in now. At the top of the hill, Kouichi had placed a hand on the ground to steady himself and had tackled the darkling.

-

The darkling was taken by surprise. He landed halfway down the hill, Kouichi still on top of him, and slid several more feet before he realized what had happened. Once it registered, however, his sharp mind began working. He still had the knife, and Kouichi was unarmed. This fight was as good as won. He raised his hand.

Kouichi grabbed the darkling's wrist, stopping the attack. The darkling couldn't hide his shock. Kouichi's reaction had been so quick. Impossibly quick. How had he done it? He should have been dead by now.

'_I don't plan on dying today.'_

'_**How…!'**_

'_You can hear my thoughts. I can hear yours, too.'_

'**_But I'm not projecting! How can you hear me?'_**

'_I wasn't projecting my thoughts before, and that didn't stop you. All I had to do was listen.'_

The darkling growled. This was not how this fight was supposed to go! He brought his knees up to his chest and kicked. Both of his feet connected with Kouichi's gut. Kouichi went flying, losing his grip on the darkling's wrist, and landed down the hill, not far from a battered Takuya. Kouichi groaned and lay there, his tired, sore body reluctant to move.

"Kouichi!" Takuya cried. "Look out!"

Kouichi opened his eyes to see the darkling bearing down on him, knife aimed at his chest. Kouichi rolled aside, scrambling to his feet. The darkling was faster. He kicked Kouichi's feet out from under him. As the darkling came at him again, Kouichi grabbed his right hand. The darkling, however, had the advantage – standing over Kouichi, he had better than leverage than Kouichi, who was still on his back. He slowly overpowered Kouichi, pushing the knife closer and closer to the blue-eyed boy's heart.

"You've been running for a long time," the darkling hissed. "You're exhausted. Face it: you're going to lose eventually. Don't delay your own fate by fighting someone stronger than you."

Kouichi looked to his right, at Takuya. The gogglehead looked like he wanted to join the fight, but he was in worse shape than Kouichi. _So they did fight him already. _Guilt stabbed him, suddenly, with a vengeance. He should have been there to help. Or, more likely, to face defeat with them. But he had wasted too much time, and now he was the only one with enough stamina to fight for any length of time. The darkling was right. He was going to lose.

With some effort, he forced his thoughts back to his friends. Beyond Takuya, Kouichi saw JP helping Tommy out of the crater. When the young boy was up, they helped Zoe up. _They aren't dead yet. _He reminded himself. He couldn't stop fighting yet. He was the only thing standing between them and the darkling.

Kouichi turned his head to the left. Kouji was on his hands and knees atop the hill. A small cut marked the left side of his neck, and some red-gray blood had smeared across his neck and the collar of his shirt. Several strands of hair had pulled out of the ponytail and hung around his face. This hadn't been a total waste; he had already succeeded in saving Kouji. For now.

Kouichi somehow managed to smile at his brother. He turned back to the darkling. "I've got too much to fight for to just give up now." He managed to push the knife away by a few inches and got his feet under him. The darkling gritted his teeth, looking around him for an idea. His eyes narrowed.

'_**Look at them. They're in shock. It would be a pity if something were to happen to one of them now.'**_

Kouichi paused for only a moment to wonder what he meant. That was all it took. The darkling twisted his arm around, breaking Kouichi's hold on his hand. Before Kouichi could recover, the darkling smashed the hilt of the knife into his temple. Kouichi staggered back, his vision blurring.

The darkling took off past Takuya, who tried in vain to trip him, towards JP, Tommy, and Zoe. Zoe pushed Tommy behind her, and JP stood protectively in front of Zoe. She huffed indignantly, but the sentiment didn't last long. The darkling sprang to the side at the last minute, delivering a roundhouse kick to the back of JP's knees, which buckled beneath him. The darkling stopped in front of Zoe. He grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward him.

"Not that it matters at this point," he whispered to her, "but you can thank Kouichi for giving me this idea." He thrust the knife forward.

Kouichi grabbed the darkling by the back of his shirt and dragged him away from Zoe. Since the darkling was still holding her wrist, she stumbled forward too. Kouichi grabbed the darkling's right wrist and pulled it up and over the red-eyed boy's shoulder. The darkling grimaced.

'_What do you mean _I _gave you that idea?' _he demanded silently.

The darkling chuckled. **_'You're right. Kouji's kendo training does make him a rather troublesome target. The girl is much easier to get to.'_**

'_You were LISTENING? What about it being between them and me?'_

'**_I wasn't listening the whole time. It got tedious once you ran away, and I had to prepare for Kouji's arrival. Now, if you'll excuse me, this is getting annoying.'_**

Fractal code surrounded the darkling. Zoe and Kouichi staggered back. The code streamed away, leaving Duskmon standing there. The eyes on his armor focused on Kouichi, but he kept his face turned to Zoe.

'_**I'll deal with you in a moment.'**_

"NO!" Knowing it was futile, Kouichi hurled himself at Duskmon's back. The corrupt Warrior grabbed the boy by the neck as he came, strangling him.

"Why are you so eager to die?"

Kouichi could not speak. As it was, he could barely think straight. But he managed. _'They're my friends. I don't stand a chance against you, but neither do they. I'll do what I can to stop you.'_

'_**You don't seem very hopeful about that.'**_

'_Hope deserted me a long time ago, but I'll keep fighting anyway.'_

'_**Why?'**_

'_Because there must be someone out there who can stop you. Even if that person isn't me, I'll fight for my friends. For my brother.'_

'**_You'd die for your "friends"? How do you know they're even real friends? They've done nothing to prove they care.'_**

'_You'll never understand the concept of friends. You assume the worst and expect everyone to prove themselves. I know my friends. Even without everything they've already done to prove they care, I know it's true. And they know you and I aren't the same person. They give me a reason to go on. You have only yourself. Once you reach your limit, you have nothing left. That's why you're always so surprised that I show up when I do. You're the one who doesn't have any friends.'_

Duskmon roared in fury and threw Kouichi, just as the boy was about to pass out. He landed behind Takuya. Kouji ran to his brother's side.

"Kouichi!" Kouji cried urgently, shaking him.

Kouichi moaned softly and opened his eyes. "Kouji," he whispered, sitting up. "You have to get out of here. Get the others and go."

"What, and leave you here?" Kouji shook his head firmly. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Kouji…" Tears welled in Kouichi's eyes. Wiping them away, he stood up. "Go. Please. He's too powerful. I can distract him for a little while, but I can't keep it up forever. If you're still here for him to kill, everything I do will've been pointless." He started forward, to where Duskmon was staring at him over his shoulder. Just do this one last thing for me."

"No." Kouji grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. "This isn't over yet." He placed something in Kouichi's hand. Kouichi looked down. It was a D-Tector. A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He sent Kouji a grateful look, and Kouji nodded. Kouichi turned to meet Duskmon's eyes.

'_You haven't beat me yet.'_

'_**Ready to die, then?'**_

'_Not by a long shot.' _"Execute: Spirit Evolution…Lowemon!"

Duskmon raised his eyebrows and fully turned to face him. Zoe took the opportunity to help JP to his feet and herded him and Tommy away from the corrupt Warrior. Duskmon extended his crooked right sword as Lowemon raised his lance and shield. Neither one wanted to waste any more time. One second they were standing dozens of feet apart; in the blink of an eye, they had covered the distance between them. Their weapons crossed. They pushed against each other, neither one gaining or losing and inch.

Duskmon was the first to break the deadlock. He spun his sword in a vertical circle, forcing Lowemon to retreat and leaving a red circle in the air. "Lunar Plasma."

"Shadow Lance!" The purple aura around Lowemon's lance sliced through the approaching orb. The Warrior of Darkness continued on, driving Duskmon back. The corrupt Warrior grimaced and swung his sword. "Dark Coffin!" Lowemon dissolved into a violet mist.

"That won't work on me. Deadly Gaze." As the mist converged on him, he released the lasers. The mist reformed into a wounded Lowemon, who retreated hastily. **_'Still using the same techniques as your inferior spirit? You're going to have to be more original than that.' _**Duskmon charged, pushing Lowemon a few steps closer to the edge of the crater.

'_How does a full frontal assault qualify as "original"?'_

'_**Just watch.'**_

"Shadow Meteor!" Duskmon leaped back, warding off the attack with his sword.

"Deadly Gaze." The lasers peppered the ground at Lowemon's feet.

"You missed!" Takuya shouted. Kouji grabbed his shirt and pulled him backward. Duskmon did not reply. Everything was still for a split second. Then the ground around Lowemon fissured and gave way. Duskmon pounced while Lowemon fell, leaping into the air and dropping on his other half with vicious force. Lowemon slid lower into the crater.

A knee to Duskmon's gut bought Lowemon enough time to regain his footing. Duskmon danced back, coming to a stop in the center of the crater. Lowemon stayed where he was, wary of getting too close. In close combat, Duskmon's superior strength and skill showed. Lowemon would have to attack from a distance.

"Shadow Meteor!"

"Deadly Gaze." The attacks collided and cancelled each other. "Lunar Plasma Beam." A red beam shot at Lowemon, coming from Duskmon's sword. The new attack caught him off guard. It slammed into his chest, propelling him backwards into the soft dirt of the crater's side. And it kept coming. Lowemon groaned under the constant bombardment. An idea formed through the veil of pain. It was crazy, and he knew it. And yet... _It worked for him, _he thought miserably, not even caring if Duskmon heard. He brought his lance up with considerable effort. He focused on the idea, driving out all doubt for just a moment. In that moment, the words came to him.

"Shadow Joust!" A beam of violet energy erupted from his lance to combat the Lunar Plasma Beam. The initial surprise weakened Duskmon's attack just enough for Lowemon's to come through, sending Duskmon reeling. Lowemon emerged from the dirt.

"Face it, Duskmon. We're equal. Power won't be the deciding factor in this fight. And in everything else I have the advantage. You won't win."

Duskmon launched into the air, seeming to float there. "We may be equal in these forms, but that won't be the case any longer. Duskmon: Slide Evolution…Velgemon!"

Lowemon frowned. He didn't know how much farther he could push himself. But he would press on. He had to, for his friends. For Kouji. "Lowemon: Slide Evolution…JagerLowemon!"

"So, here we are again," Velgemon said. "Earlier this morning, virtually this exact battle took place, but you and I were on the sidelines. We know how that battle ended. It will be no different this time." **_'But this time, my Dark Obliteration has more targets.'_**

JagerLowemon growled and leaped at Velgemon. _'You won't hurt them!' _Velgemon dove down at JagerLowemon, crashing into his back. They hit the ground, JagerLowemon soon twisting free. He spun around, planting his paws firmly on Velgemon's wings to pin him.

"Dark Secret!" JagerLowemon's claws were covered in a golden glow. He pressed down harder, and gold cords spread from them, wrapping tightly around Velgemon. The corrupt Warrior roared, flapping his powerful wings. He lifted into the air, breaking the bonds, and JagerLowemon fell back to the ground.

Velgemon rose higher into the air, far out of reach of JagerLowemon's attacks. He eyed the battlefield below him: JagerLowemon in the crater; Kouji and Takuya on the rim, staring at JagerLowemon; Zoe, JP, and Tommy slightly less than a quarter of the way around the crater. A plan formulated.

'_**I should warn you. This attack swallows the first solid object it comes in contact with. Normally it brings that object here. I've never tried this here, though. I'm not really sure what will happen.'**_

'_You're not the type to waste time on pointless talk. What are you trying to say?'_

Velgemon laughed through the telepathic bond. He pointed his body to a spot between the two groups of humans. With an abrupt flex of his wings, he entered a steep dive. His eyes glowed red. **_'It's time to decide.' _**"Dark Vortex." Short stretches of red lasers erupted from his eyes. Two headed right, to Kouji and Takuya; three headed left, to the others.

JagerLowemon growled softly even as he started moving. He wasn't moving any faster than the lasers; even though he was closer to his friends than Velgemon, he would only be able to reach one group in time. He instinctively sprinted for his brother, leaping up out of the crater and pausing to let them clamber onto his back. The whole time he was desperately trying to think of a way to save his other friends.

'_**Better hurry up. Your time's almost up.'**_

'_Shut up!'_

'_**What an angry little kitty you are!'**_

JagerLowemon angrily shut out the darkling's chuckle. To his surprise, it cut off instantly. He turned his full attention to the problem at hand. _Solid object…solid object…that's it! _He leaped into the air. "Ebony Blast!" The pistons on the armor on his front legs released several transparent blasts that crashed into the ground near where his friends were scrambling away from the approaching lasers. Dirt and grass exploded upwards from the impact of the blasts. The lasers connected with the debris, causing three warps. JagerLowemon set down in the midst of the falling chunks of dirt.

'_Looks like your plan failed, darkling,' _he taunted silently as Kouji and Takuya slid off his back.

'_**Did it now?'**_

'_What's that supposed to mean?'_

'_**Nothing in particular. But did you notice how close that attack came to your friends?'**_

'_What do you think the dirt was for?'_

'**_I didn't mean _my_ attack. I meant yours. If your aim had been slightly off, they would have been dead.'_**

_'And what else was I supposed to do? Let them die?__'_

**_'Make all the excuses you want_****_. I don't really care. Still, I have to admire your creativity. Let's see if you can do it again.' _**Velgemon's wingtip touched the ground in the center of the crater at that moment. He began tracing a large circle around the Legendary Warriors, dragging his talons behind him to create a deep trough.

JagerLowemon seethed. _'You kidnap me,' _he thought, running to tackle Velgemon, _'you attack my friends and brother, you try to force me to let some of my friends die…' _He pounced, claws extended. _'I'm ending this NOW!' _"Black Deception!" His front claws glowed red and tripled in length as JagerLowemon reached Velgemon. The corrupt Warrior was nearly impaled by the enormous claws and landed on his back, pinned mercilessly by JagerLowemon.

He laughed.

'_**Now you see how powerful anger makes you. Until now you have fought with only those dark emotions which weaken you – fear, guilt, despair… Now you have tasted to power of anger and hate. You can use it to win any battle.'**_

JagerLowemon hesitated. Velgemon was lying. He had to be. JagerLowemon started to tremble. Black Deception. The name of the attack echoed in his head. It had felt almost like Dark Secret, but…wrong. There was something about the attack he had just use that felt sinister. Like it was something Velgemon would use. He had been so angry about everything that had happened to him in the past few days. All he had thought about was making the darkling pay.

Suddenly it dawned on him what he had done before. He really could have killed his friends. It was a miracle no one had been hurt. He trembled, barely noticing his claws return to normal.

Velgemon scowled in disgust. **_'You finally reach your full potential and you cower in fear? You're pathetic!' _**He pushed JagerLowemon off him and took to the air. JagerLowemon kept a wary eye on his other half, but didn't change position. **_'I'm through with you. At least you won't have to watch your friends die.'_** "Shadow of Death!" Velgemon folded his wings in front of him as a black whirlwind surrounded him. A thin black shadow emerged from the top of the whirlwind. Two milky blue lights shaped like eyes appeared at its center. The blob swirled around JagerLowemon, joining with itself to form a seamless egg with the eyes in the center. JagerLowemon never even struggled. He could still feel his anger smoldering, ready to take control again. He refused to let that happen again. The eyes blinked closed and the whole shadow wavered and disappeared.

"Kouichi!" Kouji shouted. Takuya grabbed his shoulder to keep him from running to where his brother had been. A pair of blue eyes appeared behind the Legendary Warriors. The air around the eyes rippled, and Kouichi fell to the ground. The eyes disappeared. Kouji ran to his brother's side, kneeling down to check on him. Zoe and the boys knelt beside him.

Kouichi moaned and rolled onto his side. Kouji placed a hand on his elbow. The older twin opened his eyes and looked up at his friends. "Sorry," he whispered. "He's just too strong."

Zoe grabbed his hand and helped him sit up. "Hey, you lasted longer than we did."

Velgemon landed and Slide Evolved to Duskmon. **_'Well, it's over. Again. I'm victorious…again. And this time I _will _kill you. But let me guess. You want to go first.'_**

Kouichi didn't bother forming a reply. That last attack had drained his energy and with it, his will to fight. Why make his friends watch him die first? Duskmon seemed to understand his sentiments. He chuckled. Stepping closer, the corrupt Warrior grabbed the front of Kouichi's shirt and lifted him into the air. Kouichi glared at Duskmon for a moment before he was flung aside.

Duskmon turned toward the boy's limp body. He extended his right sword. **_'This is my world. My element. Your friends beat me in the World of Light, but they are weak here. Even you are weakened by the darkness of this world. You could have beaten me; you stood on the verge of victory. But you faltered. You gave up true power. Why?'_**

Kouichi looked at him weakly. _'I don't need to explain myself to you.'_

'_**Still defiant? I don't see why. You're about to die. So why not tell me. Just so I know.'**_

'_Because the power wasn't worth it. By reaching my "full potential" I would become too much like you. I will never let that happen. Even dying is better than that.'_

'**_Why? What's so bad about being me? I'm the most powerful being in this and quite possibly every world.'_**

'_You have no friends. You don't even have allies. The only ally you might have had was Duskmon, but you used him for your own benefit. If that's how you treat your only ally, it's no wonder that you're alone. If that's what true power does, I don't need it. I don't even want it. I have my friends, and I want them to remember me like I am now. Not evil and full of anger. They saw me like that once before and they risked their lives to save me from it. I won't betray them now by giving in.'_

'**_Friends are a liability. If it wasn't for your _friends, _you wouldn't be dying now. . . But have it your way.' _**Duskmon's sword glowed dull red. He aimed it at Kouichi. "Lunar Plasma Beam!" The energy beam covered the distance in a split second, enveloping Kouichi in its deadly glow.

…**Sorry? … Maybe I should go before someone shoots me…**

**And Then There Were Ten: Most of it takes place in the future…580 years in the future. Roughly. Although that may change significantly…**

**Review! Even if it's just to say you hate me! Trust me, I take flames well.**

**-Child of Healing**

Word Count: 3782 (Up by another 429 words! I only need to add 1218 to the next chapter to get to my goal. … … This is what happens when you're in an advanced math class and go a day without math. THEY'RE WARPING MY MIND! Okay. Better now.)


	16. 1 16

**Thanks to all my reviewers!!**

**Disclaimer: Let's see. I don't own Digimon, the Legendary Warriors, Duskmon/Velgemon, or most of the other elements of this story. I do own Dusk/Twilight, Duskmon's Lunar Plasma Beam and Soul Assimilation attacks, Velgemon's Shadow of Death attack, Lowemon's Shadow Joust attack, and JagerLowemon's Dark Secret and Black Deception attacks. I also own the story. And Zweilemon, who will show up in this chapter only, and his attacks. Don't steal what's mine.**

**Old Demons**

**Chapter 16: The Radiance of the Night

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**

"_Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work; you don't give up."  
__-Anne Lamott

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_

"Kouichi!" Kouji screamed. He wanted to do something, to evolve and fight Duskmon until one of them died or to run to where his brother was – had been – even if it meant dying. But his body was too tired and he was still in shock. So he just stared at Duskmon and the red beam that continued to burn away at the hillside. _He can't be dead! Not after everything we've been through! _It had to be like a year before. He wasn't dead. He'd be waiting when they got home.

But before, his body had never left the stairwell in the Real World. There was no chance that Kouichi was still at home this time. His disappearance was the whole reason Kouji and the others had come here. No. Koji couldn't come up with any conceivable way his brother could have survived. His eyes began to burn. He had thought he had lost his brother once before. Now he really had.

"Why?" Zoe asked, sounding calm to the point of numbness. Tears were already making tracks down her cheeks as she turned to Duskmon. "Why are you still attacking? He's already _DEAD!_" Her voice cracked on the last word and she broke down completely.

Duskmon barely glanced at her. "He's proven stronger than I expected before. I won't make any mistakes this time."

Takuya stood up, jaw clenched. When he spoke, his voice was soft, with a slight waver to it. "You're a monster! I don't care what happens to me – I'm going to stop you from hurting anyone else!"

"Stop _this_." Still sustaining the Lunar Plasma Beam, Duskmon refocused his armor's eyes on the remaining humans. "Deadly Gaze."

Kouji's D-Tector suddenly flared with a fierce light. A barrier of white flames surrounded them all, splashes of red appearing periodically when the lasers hit. Kouji's face remained stoic as he stared at the fire, silently cursing it for not protecting his brother.

When, moments later, Duskmon let out a grunt and the red bursts ceased, Kouji would not even notice.

-

The grass was thick and long, soft to the touch. It could have been a part of any city park or manicured lawn, except for the fact that it was colored a rich maroon. A few chunks of dark bluish dirt lay scattered about. Small black flowers speckled the grass.

The area was small, mostly covered by a boy with pale skin and thick black hair. Those colors were the only normal ones visible. He was wearing black pants and a light green long-sleeved shirt under a reddish tee-shirt.

The entire scene was covered by a dull red dome with a diameter only slightly greater than the boy's height. It was tall enough for him to sit, but not to stand.

Kouichi opened his blue eyes, not quite sure what to expect. Certainly not the scene before him. _What's going on here?_ Kouichi almost anticipated a snide comment in reply, but everything remained silent. He tried to tune in to the darkling's thoughts. Still nothing.

Turning his attention away from that, Kouichi studied the dome. Every so often, it rippled slightly. A soft white light was spewing from his D-Tector. But if, as he suspected, the digivice was the source of the dome, why was it red? And where was he, anyway?

"_Lunar Plasma Beam."_

Could that be it? When Duskmon had attacked, could the dome have formed to protect him? That would mean he wasn't dead. But how? And why?

"_Your friends beat me in the World of Light, but here they are weak."_

Kouichi's eyes widened. Those remembered words triggered a wave of other memories.

"_How do you like my home?"_

"_I am the darkling – the one you've been trying to ignore…"_

He sat bolt upright. Everything was starting to make sense! A plan formed. It was risky, but he had to try. Grabbing his D-Tector in both hands, he stared at the light coming from the screen. _This will work,_ he told himself. _It has to._ He kept repeating that, trying to work up the courage to stand. If he was wrong, he'd be incinerated. But he wasn't wrong. He was sure of it. Mostly. And if he was right, then he was just wasting time debating whether or not to stand. _Only one way to prove I'm right._

Pushing himself into a crouch, Kouichi slowly stood up. As he did, the dome expanded, both in height and in diameter. A patch in the back began to emerge from the energy stream as the rest of the dome absorbed it. The area enclosed by the dome was the only area that had color; everything else was still gray. Finally, as Kouichi stood straight, he saw the rest of the battlefield. Duskmon was continuously firing his Deadly Gaze attack at where Kouji and the others had been. Now all there was to see was a ring of white fire at least seven feet tall.

Then Duskmon caught sight of the dome. He let out a frustrated and slightly incredulous grunt and cut off both attacks. The two Warriors of Darkness stared at each other, not saying anything or projecting any thoughts, as the white fire flickered out. Duskmon couldn't help but wonder what new power had kept Kouichi alive. The thought scared him. Kouichi just waited.

As for the others, well, they didn't quite know what they were seeing. Just Kouichi standing there, alive, would have been shocking enough. But he was, as weird as they felt thinking it, in color. It seemed to the Legendary Warriors that Kouichi was in a bubble and everything seen through that bubble was it's normal color…Well, normal for this world.

Duskmon glared at Kouichi. "What are you doing alive?"

Kouichi smirked. "Why are you asking me? Everything I know I learned from you."

"Like what?" His voice was laced with annoyance.

"Like the Digital World, and probably the Real World, too, is a 'World of Light.'" Duskmon didn't react for a minute, but then he seemed to make a connection and his eyes widened. "And that this world is a shadow of those worlds. A Shadow of their Light."

Duskmon stepped back, visibly afraid. "No! Duskmon coated this world in darkness. There is no light here!"

Kouichi shook his head. "You're wrong. There _is _Light here. And what was it you said? That I 'stand in the shadows cast by the Light'? That the Light empowers me? I don't think you realized how right you were. The Light is the source of my power like it is the source of this world. Which is why you can't defeat me as easily as you expected."

Kouji's D-Tector flared once more. Kouichi and Duskmon stared at it, the human curious and the digimon horrified. A beam of light shot into Kouichi's D-Tector, which he still clutched in both hands. As it passed into the dome, it acquired a black outline. Kouichi was instantly surrounded by fractal code. Inside the – oddly – orange egg, the two purified Spirits of Darkness appeared on either side of him. A smile slowly tugged at his mouth.

"Execute: Fusion Evolution!"

When the fractal code cleared, a being nothing short of awe-inspiring was revealed. The dome of color was now more of a starburst shape, and extended much farther into the grayness. There was a thin line around him of "normal" color – green grass instead of maroon; blue sky instead of light orange.

The digimon himself was ten feet tall, covered by a black bodysuit, other than his face, the lower half of which was covered anyway by Lowemon's facemask. JagerLowemon's crest – a roughly diamond-shaped plate of black armor with gold markings – covered his forehead and swept back over his cranium, the flattened bottom tip coming to between and just above his eyes. There was a blue gem on the center of the lower half of the crest. JagerLowemon's rectangular black-and-gold armor covered the sides of his hips, a piston protruding from each, and his shoulders (merging with a pair of black lions' heads, similar to the ones on his knees. All four lions held round blue gems in their mouths.) His breastplate was a gold diamond, proportionately wider than the crest. In the bottom point and along the upper sides were three sapphires, connected into a triangle by black lines. At the center of the triangle, etched in black, was the image of a 10-pointed star.

On his right arm was a gold armlet, from his wrist to his elbow, with black markings around the piston in the middle. His left arm bore a full gauntlet: segmented gold armor covered his hand, connecting to an armlet identical to the one on his right arm. A large sapphire was embedded in the armor plate on the back of his left hand. Unadorned black boots covered his feet and shins. Brown leather bands wrapped around his thighs, left bicep, and right hand, down the fingers to the first knuckle. His tail was long, black, and segmented, ending in a fifth piston. Two pairs of large black-and-gold-feathered wings sprouted from his back. The upper pair stretched upward at a 45-degree angle for four feet; the lower pair stretched straight out for six feet. A short mane of blonde hair protruded from the back of his head. Finally, a brown leather strap, under his armor, held a black scabbard to his back on the left side of his wings. All that could be seen was a silver hilt, shaped like a crescent moon.

In a soft, solemn voice, he introduced himself: "Zweilemon."

Duskmon scowled, shaking himself out of his shock. "You may think you have the advantage now, but that won't last long. Without the Light, you are still weak." Extending his second sword, Duskmon charged Kouji. Zweilemon was there in an instant, sword effortlessly parrying both of Duskmon's. The blade itself was gold, double-edged, with silver runes on both sides.

"Face it, Duskmon. You've lost."

Duskmon leaped back. "We'll see. Duskmon: Slide Evolution…Velgemon." Velgemon glared at Zweilemon. With a strong gust of wind, the Beast Spirit took to the air. The humans shielded their eyes from the whirlwind of dirt and grass. Zweilemon glanced at them and rose to where Velgemon waited. _I will protect you,_ he vowed silently.

"You're wasting your time," Velgemon hissed. "It took two Fusion Warriors to defeat this form in a weakened state and without me. You alone won't match my strength."

"We'll see." Zweilemon's voice remained even. He seemed completely prepared for the coming fight.

Velgemon fumed at the fused digimon's apparent indifference. Moments ago, he had been scared and despairing. What had happened? Where was this new power coming from? Duskmon's dark seal on this world should have prevented this. He narrowed his eyes. He would still win. He was still more powerful than his other half, especially since Kouichi insisted on holding back. "Dark Vortex!" Velgemon dove down at Zweilemon, lasers erupting from his eyes. Zweilemon dodged just in time, but Velgemon's talons came down on his back. The sharp appendages dug into the Fusion Warrior's wings. Spinning him around, Velgemon let go. Zweilemon crashed into a hillside.

Takuya's eyes widened as he took a shaky step toward the dust cloud. "Oh, no!" he cried. "He's still not powerful enough!"

Kouji turned on him. "Don't say that! This isn't even close to being over! Zweilemon will pull though somehow."

"Kouji's right," Zoe said, albeit more calmly. "We have to believe in him. He won't let us down."

"Just like when you two were fighting Cherubimon," Tommy said. "We believed in you, even though we couldn't fight."

"The kid's right," JP added, earning an amused glance from Zoe at the use of the word "kid." "It's the least we can do."

Takuya rolled his eyes. "So what, we just scream hysterically and hope it gives Zweilemon strength? Do you even _realize _how crazy that sounds?"

Zoe laughed. "Look around, Takuya. We're in a gray world, fighting digimon…Heck, we turn into monsters on a regular basis! Since when is anything we do _sane_?"

"Good point," Takuya grinned, sweatdropping. "But still. I'm not screaming."

"You don't have to," Tommy said. "Just believe."

Velgemon stayed in the air during the exchange, waiting for Zweilemon to emerge. A sudden wind cleared the dust from the impact site. Nothing was there.

"Behind you." Velgemon turned around to face Zweilemon. The pistons on his hips and wrists were extended, glowing with a golden light. "Moon Effect!" The pistons released their energy, which converged into a single golden comet. The energy crashed into Velgemon, driving him down. All too easily, Velgemon righted himself and the gold orb dissipated.

"Powerful," Velgemon admitted. "But not versatile. Unlike my attacks, you can't alter how you use your energy. Allow me to demonstrate. Dark Obliteration!" Six rings of red appeared around Zweilemon, crisscrossing to form a sphere. All at once, the flashed to black and detonated. Black tendrils of energy writhed in all directions, blocking Zweilemon from view.

"Moon Effect!" The cry was muffled and echoed faintly. A growing globe of pale yellow incinerated the dark tendrils and continued, past Velgemon, though it did no harm to him. As it expanded, it grew lighter in color, slowly fading to an imperceptible glimmer. Zweilemon hovered at the epicenter, relatively unharmed despite numerous new dents and scratches on his armor. "Who says it isn't versatile?" His tail flicked to the side, demonstrating the Warrior's smug demeanor.

Velgemon did not reply. In fact, it didn't look as if he had heard the rhetorical question at all. He flickered out of sight, only to reappear directly below his counterpart. "Dark Vortex!" Zweilemon's eyes widened in surprise. How could he have moved so quickly? The Fusion Warrior barely managed to dodge in time. Velgemon followed up the laser with a physical attack. Zweilemon moved to block to headbutt aimed at his chest.

A talon to his back sent him rocketing forward, through Velgemon, who dissolved in a static cloud. The attack agitated the wound on his wings from earlier, causing pain to blaze across his back as he flared his wings to steady himself. Zweilemon clenched his jaw against the pain as he turned around. A section of the sky itself was also dissolving, revealing the real Velgemon. _An illusion!_

Velgemon laughed. "What you said before, about strength not being the deciding factor in this fight? You were right. Our strength is nearly equal, as is our ingenuity. But you _aren't _superior in other areas. You may have created a small patch of shadows to supplement your strength, but I have a whole _world_ of true darkness strengthening me. And you are weak in other ways. Ways I plan to use to my advantage."

"You have weaknesses, too, Velgemon. You're not as infallible as you think."

"But my weaknesses are much harder to manipulate. Shadow of Death!" The dark whirlwind formed again, but this time what came out of it was in the shape of a bird with what looked to be flaming wings. The eyes were bright red. The shadow bird tore at Zweilemon, slightly weakened by the "patch of shadows," as Velgemon had called it, but still strong enough to do damage. The bird clawed away at Zweilemon's breastplate while the flames from its wings burned at his own wings and his arms.

With a roar, Zweilemon drew his sword. "Silver Bolide!" The silver runes glowed, gathering so much energy that it literally leaked into the air around the blade. The Fusion Warrior swung it, cleaving the bird into two halves, both of which dissolved instantly. A silver tail of energy, left behind by the glowing runes, took on a life of its own and attacked Velgemon. The energy whipped against his chest, disappearing in a flash that sapped Velgemon's energy. Zweilemon silently sheathed his sword.

Growling in fury, Velgemon rammed into Zweilemon, who caught the advancing Warrior in his hands. The impact, though absorbed somewhat by Zweilemon's hands and arms, still elicited a slight grunt from the Fusion Warrior. A gold-armored fist connected with Velgemon's face. The Beast Spirit retreated momentarily, folding his wings in front of him as he continued to drift away.

"Shadow of Death!" The shadow this time was shaped like a large cat with wings. It had no eyes. In an instant, the cat swooped down on Zweilemon. It was fast; much faster than the previous shadows. As it approached, it lost its form, becoming a long wisp of fog that swirled around him, locking together into a slowly contracting mass. The only parts of his body not caught in the deadly hold were his head and his tail. Releasing his pent-up frustration on his immobile target, Velgemon swiped at his pure half. His talons tore at Zweilemon's breastplate furiously until, with a heavy ringing, it broke. Barely noticing the damage he had done, Velgemon continued his assault, shredding the black bodysuit on the others' sides. Zweilemon winced with each blow.

Finally Velgemon stopped. "Look at you. You're helpless. I can kill you whenever I want, and I've only unleashed three Deaths on you: true Death, symbolic of old age; the Phoenix, nature; and now the Sphinx, fate. There are three more just waiting to surprise you. You can't hope to defy what I have yet to reveal to you."

"Hope is exactly what I plan to do. Moon Effect!" The fog quickly enveloped Zweilemon's hips and wrists, but the golden orb connected anyway. A small, concentrated blast from a single piston burned at Velgemon's side, driving him away. Zweilemon's tail twitched slightly as its piston cooled down. The fog slowly faded.

Velgemon roared, the irate sound echoing in the distance. "What is it about you? Why do the pathetic and the weak always rely on hope?"

Zweilemon leveled his gaze at Velgemon, somehow coming across as formidable despite his wounds and the horrendous crack in his breastplate. "You can't understand it unless you've seen despair. You come to a point eventually when you either give up and adopt a mindset that anything is better than sitting around and waiting for your own death. Or you hope."

"Hope is an illusion. It cannot win battles."

"Maybe. But illusions are powerful things. If someone believes that things can get better, they may just find a way to make it happen."

"Why now though? You said hope had deserted you."

"I guess I just wasn't looking hard enough. But now that I have hope, I'm not about to let it go. Besides, I think you're forgetting what else I said. That there had to be someone out there who could stop you. It's starting to look like I am that person after all."

"Fine. Hope all you want. It will do you as much good as luck." Velgemon called up another illusion, which dropped in front of him like a curtain. Seconds later, two Velgemons appeared, one on either side of Zweilemon. The corrupt Warrior and his illusion spoke in unison. "Shadow of Death!" Two whirlwinds. Two shadows, both in the shape of a massive serpentine creature with green eyes. "The wise Dragon; the Intentional Killer. The only Death that acts and reacts of its own will. Unlike the other ones, this does not exist only to serve a purpose. You will have to face him and defeat him like you would any other opponent. But which one is the real one? Choose well."

The two shadow-Dragons wound through the sky, always on opposite sides of their opponent. At first they circled, seeming to study his movements. With perfect coordination, they changed course, almost reversing, and attacked. Zweilemon folded his wings and dropped at the last second, hoping to force a retreat. Instead, they corrected their paths, flying down after him and attacking again, sill on opposite sides. Again Zweilemon dodged and again the Dragons recovered instantly. As they came at him, he admitted to himself that he couldn't dodge forever. He would have to take his chances and defend against one. At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about the illusion any more.

Turning to the left, Zweilemon drew his sword again. He sliced through the Dragon, faltering at the lack of resistance. His momentum carried him forward, into a cloud of static. The real shadow crashed into his back painfully. Before he could right himself, he was attacked again, from below. As the Dragon attempted to ram his side, Zweilemon whirled. Shreds of black dispersed in the wind.

"Shadow of Death!" Zweilemon whirled, ready to attack or defend as necessary. A horse-like shadow reared in the air over Velgemon. It had a single horn on its head and white eyes. "The Unicorn," Velgemon confirmed. "One of my personal favorites. Death by Good Intentions." The Unicorn wheeled and galloped down at the humans. Having expected it to attack him directly, Zweilemon froze for a moment. In that time, he saw the shadow's departure in its entirety. Like a cloud of dust, a thin screen of static trailed behind the galloping unicorn. A revelation caught his breath in his throat. Could it be an illusion? Even if it was, he wasn't about to risk his friends to find out.

As he dove after the Unicorn, the edge of his vision flickered. He faltered momentarily and looked to the side. Another faint screen of static. With a desperate burst of speed, Zweilemon positioned himself below and to the left of the Unicorn.

"Silver Bolide!" The glow of the runes began dispelling the shadow-Unicorn before the sword even cut through it. Only static remained. Overhead, Velgemon, too, vanished. When the silver tail came alive, Zweilemon willed it towards the second screen of static. The real Velgemon careened backwards as the tail collided with his chest, disrupting the illusion. Regaining control, he glared at Zweilemon. He couldn't for the life of him fathom how the Fusion Warrior had seen through his illusion. It had to be luck.

"Luck came through for you this time, but that can't last," Velgemon growled.

"What makes you think it was luck?" Zweilemon sheathed his gold blade and positioned himself between Velgemon and his friends.

Velgemon called up another whirlwind, his anger showing in his jerky movements. "Shadow of Death!" The shadow this time had yellow eyes, and could have passed for a lioness, other than long talons on its front legs, a sharply curved beak, and a large pair of wings sprouting from its shoulder blades.

"A griffin?" Zweilemon could not prevent a groan from escaping. "You know, this attack is really starting to get old."

"Death by Sacrifice," Velgemon mused, pretending not to notice Zweilemon. After a moment, he met the Fusion Warrior's eyes. "How is this getting old? I have yet to repeat an attack. You can't defend against what you don't know." The Griffin spread its wings with a hollow screech. Pumping them, it stirred up a powerful gust of wind. Zweilemon crossed his arms over his chest in an attempt to absorb some of the force, but was flung into a hillside anyway.

As Zweilemon emerged from the dirt cloud, he was greeted by two Velgemons. The Griffin was gone. The digimon plunged at him, the one on the left leaving a faint stream of static. "Moon Effect!" All five pistons contributed to the energy comet, which halted Velgemon's assault. The illusion continued on, unnoticed, and dissolved as it crashed into Zweilemon's shoulder.

"You're loosing your advantage, Velgemon." Zweilemon's voice sounded slightly strained, having risen slightly in pitch, but still maintained its original calm tone. "Your illusions are useless, and you've gone though all six Deaths. I seriously doubt you have any more surprises in store. Me, on the other hand…" Suddenly starburst of colored "shadows" around Zweilemon flared and expanded, brining color to the entire landscape. Zweilemon retained the thin "normal"-colored outline, and Velgemon had a similar grayscale aura. Everything else became, unbeknownst to the humans below, its true twilight color: orange sky, dark blue-violet sun, maroon grass, puffy bluish clouds… Down below, the children's skin, hair and eyes stayed their Real World color, but their clothes changed.

Velgemon drew back from Zweilemon. "What is this?" he whispered, horrified. "You can't create an illusion of this scale!"

Shaking his head, Zweilemon chuckled softly. "Don't apply your rules to me. I'm not creating an illusion. This is what Twilight is really like. Your "true darkness" only strengthens you superficially. You've nearly exhausted that power already, while I've only just tapped into it."

"That doesn't matter anymore. You're in much worse shape than I am." Zweilemon's armor was indeed scuffed and dented. His breastplate was cracked down the center, only held together because the crack and ended at the lowest sapphire. The black bodysuit was torn to shreds, revealing the bloody flesh of his sides. It didn't look good. "One or two more hits and you're done for."

"I'm not beaten yet," Zweilemon said. "And unlike you, I haven't revealed all my secrets." The five pistons charged again, but didn't release. Instead, a golden sphere formed around him, originating from five golden cables that sprouted from the pistons and spread out to merge with the sphere. The gems in the lions' mouths glowed dark blue. "Onyx Nebula!" The lions spewed small black pellets outward, shattering the luminescent orb. Black shards flew in all directions, embedding in every exposed surface. A soft yellow-orange aura enclosed Zweilemon's body, as well as those of the humans. The shards melted harmlessly on contact.

By the time the attack ended, the Legendary Warriors' cuts and bruises had disappeared. Zweilemon's armor was in much better condition, though a hairline fracture still ran down the center of the breastplate. The bodysuit had been restored, and his wounds – on his ribs and wings – had healed.

Velgemon, on the other hand, was on the ground, still upright, but growling in pain. His form disintegrated into tiny data particles, which scattered in the wind. Duskmon remained, in better condition physically, though his eyes showed his fatigue. Zweilemon landed softly before the corrupt Human Spirit and folded his wings.

Duskmon glared at the Fusion Warrior. "You may be more powerful than me, but that won't matter in this fight." He extended his right sword. Zweilemon responded by drawing his own sword. "Let's see how you fare at swordplay." He charged, bombarding Zweilemon with a rapid series of thrusts and cuts. Zweilemon parried each blow, allowing himself to be driven back. He needed to gain an understanding of Duskmon's skill and technique. The strength behind each attack was astounding; it was far weaker than Velgemon's raw power, but it was focused in such a way that Zweilemon felt the jolt in his jaw.

Gradually guiding the fight to a section of downward-sloping ground so that he had the upper ground, Duskmon began to slow his attacks. He aimed each one deliberately, alternating sides, until Zweilemon was lulled into the pattern. Duskmon brought his sword back on his right side and swung. As he expected, his opponent moved to parry. Keeping his left foot planted, Duskmon brought his right foot around so his back was to Zweilemon. Before the blades could meet, Duskmon reversed his sword's direction. It spliced the air in a wide arc, connecting with Zweilemon's back and cutting deep into the base of his lower wings. Duskmon used the point of impact as a fulcrum – he whirled again so he was facing Zweilemon's back.

As Duskmon lunged at his back, Zweilemon went on the offensive. He dodged to the side, the pain in his wings and back lancing up his spine. Zweilemon ignored it as best he could. He couldn't miss a beat now. He thrust his own blade at Duskmon's side, but the Warrior managed to parry. Hoping to overwhelm Duskmon with his strength, Zweilemon launched into a frenzy. He attacked the corrupt Spirit's chest, neck, and sides ferociously; Duskmon didn't even parry. Instead he ducked, twisted, and leaped back when necessary, neatly avoiding every strike.

On the last blow, one aimed at his neck, Duskmon brought up his sword. Rather than disengage and launch his own attack, he leaned forward, forcing a deadlock. The two digimon pushed against each other. Zweilemon may have had the advantage, but Duskmon knew how to handle his blade. They stayed like that for only a second before Duskmon raised his left arm, extending his other sword. He swung it at Zweilemon's neck.

There was one thing Duskmon would have liked to know earlier: the gauntlet on Zweilemon's left hand was not just for show. His right hand had to be free to use his sword well. But his left hand was geared towards defense.

As Duskmon's sword whistled through the air, the blue gem on Zweilemon's gauntlet began to glow. The light it emitted formed itself into the shape of a shield, nearly the size of his breastplate. It took on a black hue, speckled with pinpoints of almost bluish light.

Zweilemon steeled his left arm, using the newly-formed shield to hold off Duskmon's right blade, while his right hand held the sword that was now crossed with Duskmon's left blade. Duskmon snarled. Yet another unexpected twist. Zweilemon had too many advantages. Unless he leveled the playing field, he was going to lose.

Duskmon drew back his left sword and swung it again, this time at the shield. It collided with such force that Zweilemon stumbled back. Clanging against the shield, the successive impact of Duskmon's right sword wrenched Zweilemon's shoulder back. The next blow caught him off-guard, throwing his balance off and sending him to the ground. Pain shot through his wind as he landed hard on the wound. Another blow to the shield. This time his wrist twisted awkwardly under the force. Zweilemon used his right armlet to brace the lower portion of the shield. Duskmon swung his left sword. Neither one wavering on the impact, an audible groan sounded, cut short as Duskmon's blade shattered.

The shock lasted only a second before both combatants were on their feet fighting again. Shield holding Duskmon's sword at bay, Zweilemon made a low swipe at his knees. Duskmon saw it coming. He leaped backwards, charging once more almost immediately. The crooked blade this time came at Zweilemon's neck; the golden sword was there to meet it. Falling back, Duskmon tried again, now aiming low on Zweilemon's side. Sword met sword. Zweilemon rammed his shield into Duskmon's face.

Duskmon staggered back. "I am getting tired of this petty fight. You have done well, but I am the superior swordsman, a fact which I intend to prove." In the blink of an eye, Duskmon's sword shattered the gem held in the lion's mouth on Zweilemon's right shoulder. The next instant it deepened the fissure on his breastplate. Then his left hip armor. His breastplate again. His right armlet. All this happened before Zweilemon could react.

When he did, he brought his shield up to cover his left side and unprotected neck. With his sword, he attempted to block the remainder of the blows. More than half got through anyway.

Duskmon's sword never stopped moving. With each attack, he launched into another whirl, thrust, or cut. It all seemed to be one long motion. Zweilemon found himself backing up constantly just to keep Duskmon in front of him.

The air filled with the _chink _of sword meeting sword, the _clang_ of sword meeting shield, and the _crack_ of sword meeting armor. And beneath each collision was what sounded like aluminum foil being crumpled.

The humans had moved to the top of a hill to get a better view of the battle, which was now approaching them. They could tell Zweilemon wouldn't last much longer against Duskmon's frenzy. His armor was in bad shape – two of the gems in the lions' mouths had shattered, another lion head had broken in half entirely, his breastplate was very nearly useless, and one hip guard was severely dented.

What they didn't see was that Duskmon was actually in much worse shape. Physically, he was in near-peak condition. He could push himself much farther. But his soul was nearing its limit. He had already been defeated as Velgemon, severely inhibiting his will to fight. Kouichi had somehow found new strength. His fear had turned to confidence, his despair to hope. As much as the darkling hated to admit it, it was weakening him.

Duskmon's attacks slowed. He stood, panting, for a moment, then roared and put his full weight behind another swing. Zweilemon parried, not about to give up. That one final collision was all it took. The tiny fissures that had been forming along Duskmon's sword with each blow now compounded, shattering the brittle blade. Faced with a sudden lack of resistance, Duskmon stumbled and Zweilemon's sword jerked forward. The blade pierced Duskmon's armor. Both Warriors stared at the wound in disbelief, even as Duskmon's form began to dissolve. Slowly, Zweilemon drew back, sword limp at his side.

He now stood over the darkling, who, though once again in decent physical condition, was barely half his height. It wouldn't take much effort to kill him. To be rid of him forever. He and his friends wouldn't have to worry any more. And besides, this was a battle. He had basically killed Velgemon and Duskmon already. Shouldn't he finish what he had been attempting all along?

Why was he rationalizing already? He needed to just do it and justify himself later, if need be.

An image flashed through his head. His friends, scrambling away. Transparent blasts hitting the ground mere feet from them. He had enormous potential for destruction. And he had already come close to unleashing that power on his friends. He couldn't be careless anymore. After all, as evil as the darkling was, he was still human. He couldn't defend himself for long against a Human Spirit, much less a Fusion Warrior.

Zweilemon devolved. As soon as the fractal code surrounded him, the landscape returned to gray hues. As the code peeled away, only a much reduced starburst of color remained. Kouichi carefully studied the darkling's face. What could he do? Would he just have to deal with the darkling forever? Or did the evil being know of something that was truly defeat him?

Feeling something heavy in his hand, Kouichi looked down. There, leather-wrapped hilt fitting snugly in his palm, was a small dagger. Maybe killing the darkling _was_ the only was to end this…

* * *

**Wow. This took me FOREVER to type! And the words just kept coming! Seriously!**

**Oh, by the way, I also own the new version of Velgemon's Dark Obliteration attack. Don't use it without asking me.**

**Okay. Moving on…**

**And Then There Were Ten: I guess I don't have much to tell you….But I can tell you the colors of the new D-Tectors. Not that it's really all that important in the grand scheme of things… Okay, the Water D-T (I know, I'm too lazy to actually type out the whole word!) is light blue with teal accents (the grip and around the screen). The Earth D-T is tan with dark brown accents. The Wood D-T is green with brown accents. And the Steel D-T is silver with dark gray accents.**

**One chapter left! Review!**

**-Child of Healing**

Word count: 5762 (Wow. And I was worried about getting to 5000… o.o)


	17. 1 17

**Wow. This is the last chapter!! I almost can't believe it. Before I do anything else, thanks to my reviewers: Dark God Anubis, RumorUnderOath, Melinda-chan, Karina, Yami no Hikari-Chan, digi-writer1392, XxAngelofDarknessXx, kawaiiteen, GaliStar07, Determindtowin, bluemoonlightgirl, daughter of the sphinx, GeminiStar01, Stephanie/Joey-chan, Kayhera, Evide, and JyouraKoumi (my very own personal flamer!!! lol) And thanks to all my other readers!**

**Disclaimer: You know what I own and what I don't own. Let's not ruin the last chapter with a stupid disclaimer, okay? Good.**

**Old Demons**

**Chapter 17: Turn Around in Circles

* * *

**

_That's the best thing about walking – the journey itself. It doesn't matter much whether you get where you're going or not. You'll get there anyway. Every good hike brings you eventually back home._

_-Edward Abbey

* * *

_

Kouichi stared at the knife in his hand. Why? Was this one last test? Or perhaps it was a sign that he was supposed to kill the darkling.

"I always knew it would come to this," the darkling whispered. Kouichi tried to gauge his emotions. He seemed…subdued. Kouichi wouldn't have thought that was possible, and for that reason, he couldn't tell if the darkling was putting on an act or if he was truly resigned to death. The red-eyed being looked up at his other half. "But I always imagined me on the other end. I never thought it would turn out like this…" He seemed to withdraw into his own thoughts.

"How can we trust anything you say?"

Kouichi jumped. Takuya had come up behind him to ask the question. Kouichi didn't turn to see if the others were there. He kept his full attention on the darkling, trying to control his pounding heart. Takuya hadn't scared him that bad, had he? He was nervous about something else. Or maybe everything else. He couldn't decide what to think about the darkling's statements. Was he trying to trick Kouichi out of killing him? He seemed relatively honest. For once.

The darkling laughed bitterly. "You don't get it. Any of you." He focused his gaze on Takuya. "One of us was always destined to come out on top. Only the winner of the battle would earn the right to live. It was supposed to be me." He glared at Kouichi. "It was supposed to be ME!"

Kouichi felt queasy. The darkling's hysterical voice echoed in his mind. One of them was destined to win. Hadn't Lowemon said basically the same thing? Lifting the knife, he grimaced. He wasn't a killer. That was something the darkling would do. If he killed, how would he be any better than the monster he killed?

"How could you go home? Mama shouldn't have to live with a murderer." Kouichi clenched his jaw, but couldn't help agreeing. "Could you tell her the truth? She deserves to know."

The darkling was right. How could he go home knowing he had killed? Hadn't he lived with guilt long enough? He couldn't take more now that he was finally starting to feel worthy of forgiveness.

But what if he did let the being live? He would bring the darkling home with him. Duskmon had terrorized a continent in the Digital World. He had corrupted all of Twilight. Kouichi could only imagine the suffering Duskmon would bring to the Real World, now that he had fused with the darkling. _I've put the others in danger too much already. I can't put the entire world at risk, too!_

Still…It was murder.

"Don't listen to him, Kouichi," Takuya urged. "There must be a reason why you have that knife." Kouichi looked over his shoulder. Takuya met his eyes with a level gaze. The others were gathered behind the gogglehead leader. Clenching his fists, JP nodded, as did Tommy, though the younger boy looked considerably less confident. Zoe stood to the side, hugging herself. She refused to meet Kouichi's eyes and instead buried her face in her shoulder, but slowly she too nodded.

Kouji. If there was one opinion Kouichi knew he could trust, it was Kouji's. But the younger twin kept his face blank.

They didn't understand. Guilt had allowed the darkling to be released in the first place. Even with the darkling gone, another evil would take his place. It was Kouichi's curse. But he'd rather deal with something familiar than face something new.

Kouichi lowered the knife to his side, holding it only loosely. He shook his head. "I can't do it."

"I knew you couldn't finish the job." Smirking, the darkling backed away. "You've always been too soft to do what needs to be done." Kouichi's face flushed in humiliation. "No wonder you're so desperate to convince me your teammates are really your friends. You're still trying to convince yourself. Because if they aren't your friends, what's to stop them from abandoning you, leaving you defenseless?"

"Stop saying things like that!" Kouji roared.

The darkling scowled. "Like you're one to talk. You don't even trust anyone with your feelings. How can you claim to be anyone's friend?"

"That's not true." Kouichi's voice sounded small and pathetic after the darkling's authoritative remarks. He had been denying the notion that he didn't have friends, never even stopping to see if he believed it. And now he wasn't sure if what the darkling said was true. Maybe he just didn't want to admit he was alone.

"Trying to defend your brother?" the darkling asked. "That would be a first. You've never been able to protect anyone. _You're _the one who always needs rescuing. You only put them in danger. Just look at what almost happened to Zoe because you gave me the idea. Look at what almost happened to all of them because you were too afraid to fight." Kouichi flinched with each accusation. He clenched his fists. "Face it. They would have been better off without you."

Kouichi was on top of the darkling before he knew he was moving. He had the knife poised over the darkling's chest, but he hesitated. He still wasn't sure what to do. The darkling had gotten under his skin, but he had to be sure. Once he killed him, there was no going back. Trembling, he almost dropped the knife.

"Stop going back and forth," the darkling hissed. "This is the decision."

"What decision?" Kouichi asked.

"_The _decision. What you do right now will either get rid of me forever or it will ensure my return. But you have to choose now."

Kouichi blinked. _What do I do?_ His thoughts were in a jumble, bouncing back and forth. Time. He needed to think, but he didn't have the time.

"Hurry up," the darkling taunted. "Or you just might miss your chance."

"No."

Silence. Kouichi slowly stood up and backed away, dropping the knife. As soon as it hit the ground, it broke up into data particles. The darkling stared up at him from the ground, mouth slack.

"What did you say?"

Kouichi's shoulders tensed. "I said no. If I have to deal with you for the rest of my life…" He hesitated. "I'll manage." He continued, stronger, "I know I can beat you. And I won't sink to your level by killing you. I'm through with guilt."

With a cry, the darkling clutched his stomach. He curled up in agony. "Why?" he managed to force out. "All your friends wanted you to kill me. Why didn't you?"

"You were tricking us," Kouji said, voice hushed with realization. "You _wanted_ Kouichi to kill you."

"Very perceptive." The darkling managed to push himself to his feet, seemingly oblivious to the pain now. When he straightened fully, a hole in his abdomen was visible. The flesh and clothes at the hole's edges were slowly breaking up. He stared at Kouichi. "Why didn't you kill me? You were so close…" He winced briefly, voice becoming strained. "You shouldn't have been able to control yourself. You're weak!"

"By your definition," Kouichi said. "But your definition isn't perfect."

The darkling continued to glare at Kouichi until his form was completely dissolved. Only the small corrupted Spirits of Darkness remained. **_'Don't think just because I'm gone my influence is over. You still created me. And you still have to face the consequences of what you've done through me.' _**Then the spirits, too, dissolved.

The wind dispersed the particles, which left behind a slight waver in the air. As the waver calmed, color returned to the scene. In moments, the colors of Twilight were restored as far as the eye could see.

Kouichi slumped to his knees, completely exhausted. The events of the day echoed dully in his dead. Upon recalling some of the things he had said, he blushed. They sounded so grandiose, almost to the point of being cheesy. Kouichi would have never dreamed of saying anything so eloquent. Slowly his humiliation faded into a strong desire to just go home and sleep.

He received a face full of dirt when Zoe crashed into his back. Her arms wrapped around him as he sat up. Several other hands landed on his shoulders.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as the first tears escaped his eyes. "For everything."

"Shut up," Zoe mumbled into his back. "Don't you _dare_ blame yourself for this."

"She's right," Takuya said, squeezing Kouichi's shoulder. "You were great out there. I mean, sheesh! You made me look like…well, I dunno."

"An incompetent gogglehead?" Zoe released Kouichi, slapping Takuya's leg. "That's because you are." Kouichi, turning around, saw Tommy, JP, Zoe, and Takuya gathered behind him. Takuya was glaring at Zoe, who had half-dried streaks of tears on her cheeks. He couldn't help but smile at them. But his mood immediately soured when he saw Kouji handing back, his face still impassive. The all-too-familiar weight of guilt formed in Kouichi's chest. _He hates me._ Kouichi lowered his head in shame. _The darkling was right. There are consequences. But why Kouji? I can't lose him!_

Takuya and Zoe helped Kouichi to his feet. He smiled weakly at them and took a hesitant step forward. Swallowing a lump in his throat, he forced himself to speak. "Kouji?" The younger twin blinked and trailed his gaze over to his teammates…His friends.

Kouichi bit his lip. What could he say? "I…I'm sorry…" He searched for the right words, for any words. The tears flowed freely now. "I know you must hate me, but…I'm just really sorry."

Kouji's mouth flexed absently. "_Hate_ you?!" he finally managed. "Why would you say that?"

Looking away, Kouichi shrugged. "Why else would you just be standing there like that?" he whispered, blushing. He hated the accusing tone in his voice, but he couldn't just ignore what he was feeling.

"Kouichi…"

"No, it's alright. I understand." _How could you forgive everything I've done?_

"No you don't." Kouji walked up to Kouichi and grabbed his shoulders. At Kouichi's wince, the younger twin loosened his grip. "I don't hate you, Kouichi. How could I?"

"Then…why were you standing there like that?" Kouji's hands dropped. Kouichi looked up in surprise and searched his twin's eyes. He found pain and sorrow in the normally cold blue eyes. "Kouji!"

"What the darkling said hurt," he whispered. Kouichi could tell it was hard for him to say. "But I'm fine, really."

Kouichi managed a small smile and embraced his brother. "No you're not," he whispered. "I can tell. But forget about that. You're a great friend. Just ask Takuya; I'm sure he'd agree with me." Kouji smiled. "And whenever you do want to talk, I'm here."

Takuya groaned, preventing Kouichi from hearing Kouji's reply. "Enough with the drama already!" Zoe elbowed him in the ribs. "OW!"

Much to Takuya's relief, the exchange was cut short as all six D-Tectors glowed. Two streams of black-edged white light erupted form each, combining and becoming the Human Spirits. Only the digimon's armor had changed color; their hair, eyes, and skin (or fur, in Kumamon's case) was unchanged.

Lowemon received a warm welcome from the other spirits. Kouichi felt his mood lift as Kazemon, Agunimon, Beetlemon, and Kumamon knocked into his spirit. Lobomon caught him from behind before he could fall over.

"It's good to see you're alright," the Spirit of Light said.

Lowemon's eyes focused on Kouichi, who blushed violently once more. "Thank Kouichi."

The boy was already shaking his head. "I don't deserve any thanks."

"What are you talking about?" Lobomon asked. "You just defeated the darkling. That's not an easy task."

"How many people do you know that are a manifestation of darkness?"

Kazemon smiled at him. "You should feel honored, you know. Not everyone can be trusted with that power."

Laughing at Kouichi's frown, Agunimon tried to explain. "All digidestined have pure hearts. It's what allows you into the Digital World. But you specifically have the purest heart of all. Darkness is the most easily corrupted element. Every human has a character flaw that could be used to corrupt them. The more prominent that flaw is, the harder it is to not give in to corruption."

Kouji smirked. "Now we know why Takuya doesn't have the Spirits of Darkness."

"Hey!" Takuya cried indignantly. "What are you saying?"

"That you're flawed."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Boys…" She turned to the spirits. "How come not everything here is a weird color? Like our hair and skin and eyes. All that's normal."

"It all has strong energy," Kazemon said. "When Duskmon's seal was up, only eyes and energy attacks had enough to retain color. Now it's easier, so your skin an hair does too."

"Weird." Kouichi sighed. "I don't think I could get used to this place."

Lowemon laughed. "I didn't think so either, at first. But it grows on you."

Kouichi shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. The shaggy mess was matted with sweat, and Kouichi made a face. "All I want right now is to take a shower."

Raising an eyebrow, Kouji gestured to himself. "_You_ want a shower?" Whitish dried mud caked the front of his legs to his knees and speckled his arms to his elbows. Dark blue dirt was smeared on the back of his clothes and his left cheek.

Zoe grinned and wrapped her arm around him. "And whose fault is that?" Kouji rolled his eyes. Zoe just laughed.

Takuya glanced around. "Guys? Let's go home."

-

It took some time for the group to figure out how to get back to the Gatehouse. Since flying was undoubtedly faster, they tried to get everyone paired up with a flier. (Of course, the fact that Lowemon couldn't Fusion Evolve to his only winged form – apparently that was something only humans could do – made the task that much harder.) After much complaining on Agunimon's part, they set off. BurningGreymon carried Takuya in his arms, the twins on his shoulders, and Lobomon and Lowemon on either leg. Zephyrmon had Tommy and Kumamon on her legs and Zoe in her arms, leaving Beetlemon to carry JP.

The two-and-a-half hour journey passed in relative silence, interrupted by hushed conversations (or shouted conversations from digimon to digimon). Soon enough, the mansion came into sight, an old lavender building by a fire-colored lake surrounded by red-leaved trees. By the time the Legendary Warriors had landed and devolved as necessary, Gotsumon had emerged from the building. Kouichi laughed at the irritation evident on Kouji's face…at least until the rock digimon tackled him into the murky lake water.

Despite protests, Gotsumon insisted on taking them to see Sulamon. Kouichi, of course, was the only human who recognized the digimon when they arrived.

Takuya was the first to speak. "Look, buddy, I don't know who you are or why it's so important that you see us, but I really just want to go home."

"What are you saying?" Sulamon asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Takuya sweatdropped. "Well…uh…This better not take long."

"It won't," Sulamon assured him. "I merely wanted to congratulate you and see you off."

"And?"

The digimon studied the goggleheaded leader. "And nothing. That's it."

"You're not going to talk for hours about the history of this world and our enemy and our power and 50 million other things that are completely useless to us?!"

"Why would I? You've already won."

"Come on! It's never just a 'Hey, good job! See ya later!' There's always something else we get dragged into!"

"Well, if you really want, I could tell you all about the history of this world…"

"No. I'll pass."

Kouji shook his head. "You can never let anything be simple, can you, Takuya?"

"Not in this universe," Zoe sighed.

And so, after a very brief congratulation, the group, Gotsumon included, made their way to the Gate chamber. Kouichi was a bit lost as to what to do, and fidgeted once he was in place. Kouji noted with satisfaction the single violet symbol of Darkness glowing alongside the other nine.

Once all ten symbols were lit, black light spread along the ground and up the Gate. A low boom shook the room and the Gate opened slowly. Waves of alternating white and black were visible inside the Gate, contained by some unknown force. The Legendary Warriors felt a strange force pull them forward.

Just before a flash of light transported them through the Gate, Sulamon called, "Farewell, digidestined! We may be seeing each other again."

-

The Legendary Warriors found them lying on the floor of a predominately black room with five figures looming over them.

"Y'all did it!" a female voice cried.

"Thank the stars thou hast returned, Lowemon!"

"Well, y'know…Welcome back."

"Imbecile! Didst I not utter precisely that mere moments ago?"

"Hey, you no use normal talk, you no complain. How we supposed to know what you trying to say?"

The female giggled. "You're not exactly one to talk, sugar!"

Kouichi stared in confusion at the other four Legendary Warriors, who had started to help the new arrivals to their feet. He hadn't thought they could have physical form. But then, why shouldn't they? They were just like the digidestined's spirits. They even had humans somewhere. A smile tugged at his lips.

"Pray tell, what dost thou find amusing?" Mercurymon queried, helping Kouichi to his feet.

"I was thinking about the humans you four are paired with. Lowemon told me about them," he explained at Mercurymon's surprised reaction. (At least, he thought it was surprise. It was hard to tell without an actual _face_.) "Well, he didn't really say much, but I know you have a human somewhere."

Mercurymon's mouth quirked into a smile. "And thou finds this…humorous?"

"Don't get me wrong. It's just…that's going to be one interesting team. Ranamon and Arbormon would have normal humans. Well, almost normal. But you and Grumblemon? No one on earth really talks like you, for one thing."

"The humans will not be indistinguishable from us, as thou assumes," Mercurymon said. "Thou hast many similarities with Lowemon, but even between thou there are differences. Be mindful also, that my three comrades and I hath had more time without a human than the others. Wherefore should our personalities not diverge from those of our humans with each passing day?"

Kouichi frowned. "I think I get it…"

"Don't get confused by Mercurymon's strange words," Ranamon drawled, coming up behind the Warrior of Steel. "All he's sayin' is that the longer we don't have a human, the more time we have to develop a unique personality."

Nodding, Kouichi was about to reply when Ophanimon spoke up.

"I realize I am cutting short what could be a very beneficial reunion, but the humans must leave shortly."

Kouichi turned to find Lowemon. "So…" he said, approaching his spirit. "I guess this is good-bye?"

"Don't sound so sad." Kouichi could see the smile in Lowemon's eyes. "At least we get to say good-bye this time."

"That reminds me." Kouichi turned to Kouji, who was standing next to Lobomon. Kouji smiled slightly as he continued. "What is it with you and making me think you're dead?" Kouichi blushed.

"If you ever have kids, they're going to give you gray hair before they turn ten!" Zoe teased, joining them with Kazemon.

Kouichi laughed good-naturedly. "I'm sure you'll set them straight."

"If they're girls. Any son of yours is bound to be hopeless!"

All too soon, they had to leave. The spirits accompanied them outside, to the back of the castle. The Trailmon, Worm this time, sat there, impatient as ever.

"Hey!" Takuya cried. "Couldn't we have com on this track? Why'd we have to get dropped off in the middle of nowhere?"

"I specifically arranged to have you leave from here," Ophanimon grumbled. "I wouldn't complain if I were you."

"Hey, can we get goin' already? I'm rusting away here!"

Kouichi couldn't help but feel some annoyance at Worm for interrupting their farewell. One by one, the digidestined got onboard, each waving to the spirits before they sat down. Exhaustion began to weigh Kouichi down as he collapsed beside Kouji, but he couldn't keep a smile off his face. His clothes, still wet from the lake in front of the Gatehouse, clung to him. _As if the sweat wasn't enough,_ he groaned inwardly. But he couldn't deny the relief he felt. For the first time in a long while, wet clothes were the biggest worry he had.

-

A year passed. The memory of that night soon faded from the parents' minds, despite the fact that their kids suddenly burst in at 2:30 in the morning. Not surprisingly, none of the digidestined made it to school the next day. Tomoko Kimura was the only parent who clearly remembered those events. But it was not an entirely negative memory. She couldn't help but notice a change in her son – he seemed happier, more outgoing. She long suspected there was more to Kouichi's supposed kidnapping, but she never found out the truth.

The school year brought only good memories, but the mood turned apprehensive as April – and the anniversary – approached. All six kids felt a common strain, but at Kouichi's insistence, they planned another picnic. As it fell on Sunday, and mostly due to Takuya's adamant defense of his one day to sleep in, they decided to meet at 1:00 PM.

The night before, Kouichi couldn't sleep. He heard his mother in the bathroom around ten, and half an hour later the house was silent. Kouichi rolled over in bed. _I have nothing to worry about,_ he told himself. _Just go to sleep. _The dreams had not returned, and yet he dreaded falling asleep. Trying for several more minutes to empty his mind (and failing miserably), he glanced at his clock. Eleven-fifteen. Kouichi groaned.

With a growing sense of restlessness, he got out of bed and made his way to the living room. After a brief search for the remote, he switched on the TV, turning down the volume so he wouldn't disturb his mother. Idly, he flipped channels, going through the entire cycle three times without finding anything. He eventually settled on a rerun courtroom drama. Ten minutes later, as a commercial blared on the screen, Kouichi hit the power button. Irritating silence filled his ears. He stood up.

In the kitchen, Kouichi stared absently into the refrigerator. He wasn't particularly hungry and nothing appealed to him, but he stood there for a full minute more before closing the door. Grabbing a nearby pen and notepad, he scribbled a quick note:

_Mama:  
__I went for a walk. I'll be back later.  
__Kouichi_

He stared at the words, contemplating throwing the note out, but forced himself to leave it on the counter. If his mother woke up, he didn't want her to worry.

After slipping on his shoes, Kouichi stepped out, quietly closing the door behind him. The air was surprisingly warm for early April, and the full moon illuminated the city streets well enough for him to navigate. He passed a few cars as he walked, but saw no other pedestrians.

Soon enough, his destination came into sight: the park. He and his friends had gathered there many times over the past year. The memories the moonlit trees sparked made him smile and relax a bit. Takuya teaching Tommy soccer. Kouji almost strangling JP (the ninth grader had taken an interest in film, with Kouji as his guinea pig.) Not to mention several picnics the previous summer.

Kouichi headed for a bench, but, seeing someone already there, faltered. All he could see in the meager streetlight was a frazzled braid of long blonde hair covered by a puffy lavender scarf. Kouichi smiled and came up behind her.

"Isn't it a little late for you to be out?"

She jumped, her surprise turning to anger in a second. "Don't scare me like that!" she cried, turning to hit him. She folded her arms over her white spaghetti-strap shirt as Kouichi sat down next to her.

"Sorry, Zoe," Kouichi laughed. "I just didn't expect you to be here."

Zoe rolled her eyes, returning a smile. "I wasn't tired."

"I'm sure the school board wouldn't mind having school on Sunday."

"No thanks. I'll stick to too much sleep." She eyed his wrinkled gray tee-shirt. "Why are you here?"

"Couldn't sleep."

The smile faded. "Kouichi…You haven't been having those dreams again, have you?"

"That's just the thing. Nothing's wrong." He sighed, staring down at his hands. Scooting closer, her blue sweats brushing against Kouichi's green flannel pants, Zoe grabbed his hand. "I know there's nothing to worry about," Kouichi muttered, blushing, "but my brain won't listen."

"Kouichi, do you know why I came here tonight?"

Kouichi looked at her, eyebrow raised at the randomness of the question. "I thought you said you weren't tired."

"I mean, why _here _of all places?"

"Oh, then no, I don't."

She smiled at him sadly. "Last year, this park was the last place I saw you. Now there's this part of me that thinks the same thing's going to happen tomorrow just because it'll be the last place I see you."

"What?!" Kouichi cried. When he realized he sounded condescending, he blushed.

Zoe didn't seem to notice. "I know. But fear isn't rational. Use all the logic you want against it; it won't work. That's why I'm here." She pulled at her scarf. Kouichi had given it to her for Christmas, along with a framed picture of the team. "The way I figure, if I'm here now thinking about you, it pretty much counteracts whatever would've happened tomorrow."

Kouichi burst out laughing. "That's insane!"

Zoe laughed good-naturedly. "We're dealing with irrationality here. You have to be a little crazy! Speaking of which, I think I've solved you're problem."

"Do I _want_ to hear this?"

Trying to look indignant, Zoe crossed her arms. "Yes. Now shut up and listen." He pouted, making Zoe smile. "If anything happens to you, it'll make me look bad. So you're not allowed to disappear tonight. And that's final."

"Yes, ma'am!" Kouichi saluted her. She giggled softly. Himself fighting a laugh, Kouichi met her eyes. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Another round of giggles erupted.

"Make insanity seem so normal," he teased.

"Hey!" She huffed, but that too became a laugh. "Careful, mister, or I may just leave you to your fate."

Somehow Kouichi managed to say semi-serious. "How do you make everything seem less threatening?"

That caught Zoe off-guard. Her giggles stopped suddenly and she blushed. "We've all changed a lot in the last year," she said. "I mean, I never would've thought JP was the type to get into filming. And just look at you! A year ago, you barely talked, let alone joked like you do now."

"You're avoiding the question."

"So what if I am?" she taunted. "Are you going to make me tell you?"

"Maybe."

"Fine, then. Make me."

Kouichi glanced as his watch and stood up. "Just you wait. I'll get it out of you yet."

"The old Kouichi wouldn't have done this to me." She batted her eyes. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

"It's too late for this," he sighed, pulling her to her feet. She glanced at her own watch.

"Late? It's 12:07!"

"Fine, it's too early. Go to bed."

She smiled. "Only if you promise to sleep too."

"I promise. See ya tomorrow!"

"Today. Bye, Kouichi!"

He smiled contentedly as they both headed home. Shaking his head, he thought over Zoe's…unorthodox solution to his fear. She was certainly one of a kind. But it had worked. Now, instead of worrying, he was merely tired.

As he got home, kicking off his shoes and throwing away the untouched note, he couldn't help thinking it was all worth it. All the pain and doubt the darkling had caused had turned out to be a good thing. He had told the darkling he was through with guilt, and he reminded himself of that every day. With his friends' help, he had finally forgiven himself. Just before he fell asleep that night, he found himself thinking about the darkling's legacy: a legacy in new interests and stronger relationships. A legacy of redemption.

* * *

…**Wow. I finished. I actually finished a story!! lol Sorry, this is only like the second time this has ever happened. So if the ending wasn't stellar, just blame it on lack of practice. I spent too long revising this already. Which would be why this chapter took so long to get up. **

**Oh, yeah, I should explain the title, no? Well, as Queen of Obscure Songs, I know one called "Turn Around in Circles" (I think. I couldn't find it online anywhere to check that...) And the chorus goes "Turn around in circles, turn around in circles, turn and find your way back home." So...eh, it works. Anyway…**

**ATTWT: Well, I don't want to give anything away, but I'll get it up as soon as I can. I have to do some serious rewriting, though, so it may take two weeks or so. I have some oneshots brewing to keep you occupied:**

"**Medusa"  
****She had never had a problem with mirrors before. Then he came along and she saw herself. In that moment of reflection, her heart turned to stone.**

"**Redemption"  
****Duskmon wasn't like the other Dark Warriors. He was a human. A corrupted, dormant human, but a human nonetheless. But when that human glimpsed the memories of his brother, he awoke. He saw himself fighting his brother. All he could do was watch, and that hurt more than anything.**

"**Forgiveness"  
****He had been hurt. Hurt so bad he couldn't remember how to trust. It had taken a gogglehead to remind him, and a brother to teach him the meaning of one powerful word: forgiveness.  
****NOTE: I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to do this one.**

"**Purgatory"  
****Their data may have been scanned, but the purified Spirits remained whole. Not that that was necessarily a good thing. But it gave them time to think about all they had done.  
****NOTE: This may be a oneshot, I may do a chapter for each scanned spirit, or I may make it into an all-out story.**

…**So, yeah, I'm kinda in a sins/forgiveness rut. And a Frontier one, at that. But I just had a bunch of ideas. I'm gonna try and write some Adventure ones, but no promises.**

**See ya next fic!**

**-Child of Healing**

Word count: 4720


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